


31 Days

by Is Og Ild (IsOgIld)



Category: Disney - All Media Types, Frozen (2013), Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Comedy, Crack Relationships, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, F/M, Fluff, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Sassy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-08
Updated: 2017-05-06
Packaged: 2018-08-13 22:46:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 98,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7988917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IsOgIld/pseuds/Is%20Og%20Ild
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One month. Thirty-one days. Seven hundred and forty-four hours. 44,640 minutes. 2,678,400 seconds. Look at it that way and it sounds like a long time. But if that's all you have to convince an antisocial recluse who's a self-proclaimed people hater that you're a halfway decent guy they'd want to date, then it can feel like none at all. [KHxFrozen College AU featuring the crackiest ship to ever crack: Axel x Elsa.]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. T-Minus 1 Day and 12 Hours

_**Author's note:** Hello hello! Oh gosh, you don't know how excited I am that you've decided to check out my story! I hope you like it! Fair warning now, this story is like 50% fluff, 49% me trying (and, let's face it, utterly failing) to be sassy, and 1% plot (if that even). I won't deny it, you will find next to no plot here, and I have zero shame about it. You don't like it? Too bad! You can leave! Now, to those of you still here (the cool kids, amiright?)... Enjoy!_

_**Rated T** for language and minor suggestive adult themes *wink wink nudge nudge*_

_**Quick Disclaimer:** Just stating this here and now for the entire story - I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Frozen._

* * *

**T-Minus 1 Day and 12 Hours**

Elsa hated people.

Okay, maybe hate was a strong word. It was more of a strong aversion. And maybe it wasn't necessarily people that she had the problem with, per se, but rather _dealing_ with people. She did her best to avoid talking to or otherwise interacting in any way with other people. The only person she really got along with - more specifically, the only person she really _wanted_ to get along with - was her sister. But her sister was an amazing, clever, beautiful human being and an exception to the rule. As for everyone else…

People were scary. People were stressful. People let you down. People were… ugh, _people_.

And today, there was one particular person who was not exactly endearing the human race to her currently.

She started as her entire chair quaked from a swift kick delivered to the back of it. This had been the second time in as many minutes. She directed an icy glare over her shoulder at the culprit, Steve Abbington. He just flashed her a smug grin and shrugged.

Steve was a muscle-bound, meat-brained knuckle dragger who thought he was all that because he had gotten a free ride on a football scholarship. He was under the impression that women just swooned at the sight of him and his ugly mutton chop sideburns. He thought that about every girl, including Elsa apparently, as she had discovered when he had asked her on a date last month.

And how had Steve come to the decision to woo her? Was it based on a long time acquaintance built on mutual trust and friendship? Was it because they shared common beliefs, interests, goals and hobbies? Had they ever had at least one pleasant conversation together, or did he even know her name? Nope, nu uh, and negatory. In fact, his exact words when he asked her out, which coincidentally were his very first words to her, were, "Hey, hot stuff. Uh… Ellen… is it? You. Me. Movies. Tonight. I'll even buy you popcorn. And babe, I'm gonna rock your world."

The sad part was he had honestly believed he was doing her a favor and that what he was proposing was the highlight of her year or something. Not exactly going all weak in the knees, Elsa had turned him down as politely as she could. Thinking she was joking, he had proceeded to pinch her in the rear.

She, in turn, had proceeded to deck him in the jaw.

He seemed to get the message loud and clear at that point.

However, Steve didn't take to rejection too kindly. Ever since then, he had been doing his best to make a general nuisance of himself. His bullying tactics were childish at best, including classics such as name calling, shooting spitballs at the back of her head, and, as he was presently demonstrating, chair kicking. This semester could not end soon enough. Then the class she shared with Steve would be over and, with how huge the university campus was, she'd likely never have to cross paths with him ever again.

Shaking her head in disgust, Elsa tossed her platinum braid back over her shoulder, gathered her things and stood up. It was best just to ignore him and move. There were plenty of other empty seats in the amphitheater-style classroom.

The lecture was not going to begin for another fifteen minutes, so many students had not shown up yet. In fact, besides her and Steve, there were only three other people in there taking up a set of seats together in the top back row of the room. As she walked, her moonlight blue eyes drifted towards the trio. The one who sat in between the other two was the only one she knew.

Or rather, knew _of_ would perhaps be a more appropriate term.

He was slender and tall. Really tall. Like, Mount Fuji tall. He had long, blazing red hair that was styled back into a mess of spikes. He had bright, christmas-light green eyes that were emphasized with bold, black eyeliner. Just under his eyes on either cheek was a mark in the shape of a upside-down teardrop - Elsa wasn't sure if they were tattoos or just makeup. He was currently slouched low in his seat, feet kicked up on the chair in front of him, with a cigarette tucked behind his left ear.

His name was Axel, and he had a bit of a reputation. Supposedly, he was some sort of bad boy with a love 'em and leave 'em type of attitude. Elsa supposed he was just the right amount of gorgeous to get away with it.

His arm was wrapped around his current flavor of the week, a skinny girl taking up the seat on his left. Her eyes were a radiant cyan and her blonde, jaw length hair was uniquely fashioned to look like it had a pair of antennae sticking out. Elsa had never seen that girl before and was pretty sure she wasn't even enrolled in the class.

Seated on the other side of Axel was a boy. Elsa didn't know his name, but had seen him around in class. He was often sitting with Axel, so it was a safe bet they were friends. He also had chaotic spiky hair, but his was much shorter than Axel's and was a golden blonde. His dark blue eyes were currently cast down as he tapped away at his phone and said something that made the other two chuckle.

The redhead's eyes shifted and briefly met with Elsa's. She hastily looked away.

The new seat she chose was in the front row next to an aisle, on the complete opposite side of the room from Steve. She plopped her bag down on the floor and sat down. Flipping up the little desk in the armrest, she settled her laptop upon it. More students were slowly beginning to trickle into the room. She pulled out her phone to pass the time until the lecture started. She managed to get approximately one full minute of undisturbed time to herself.

Then her whole seat vibrated sharply once again as another kick hit the back of it.

Snapping her head around, she wasn't surprised to find that Steve had acquired a new seat. The one directly behind hers. The same self-satisfied little smirk twisted his face.

Apparently this jerk didn't realize he wasn't in high school anymore.

"What? I ain't doing nothing," he sneered at her.

She frowned and narrowed her eyes at him.

He scowled. "What's your problem? You got something to say to me?"

With a sigh, she faced forward again. Just pay no attention to him. She was above him and his idiotic pranks. Just-

Her chair shook again, this time more violently as his foot hit it harder. "Hey. Bookworm," he snapped. "I'm talking to you. If you got something to say, spit it out."

Now, Elsa normally did whatever she could to avoid talking to people whenever and wherever possible at all costs. This, however, was one of the rare times she felt the strong need to voice her thoughts.

She did not look at him or make any other movement. She just wickedly smirked as she said, "Oh, it's nothing, really. It's just that with that vacuum between your ears, I'm simply amazed that your head doesn't implode in on itself. Must be that thick skull of yours."

There was silence for a few seconds, before, "What'd you say to me, bitch?!" His foot hammered her chair. "Say that to my face!"

Rising to her feet, she spun around. "I said-"

Steve's head suddenly slammed into his own desk with a loud _wham!_

Elsa jumped in surprise. She then spotted a hand on the back of his head. It was apparently this hand that had forced his head into the table and was currently keeping it pinned there. The hand, she discovered, belonged to Axel. It seemed the redhead had risen from his seat and had decided to intervene. The girl that had been with him stood behind him now and was hiding a smile behind her hand.

Axel flashed Elsa a friendly grin and said, "You'll have to excuse him. Children can be so cranky when they haven't had their nap."

She just blinked at him a couple times and said nothing.

Steve began to raise his head, snarling, "What the fuck do-"

Axel rammed Steve's head into the desk again, this time holding it firmly in place. A little blood seeped out of one of Steve's nostrils. "Can it, squirt," he told him. "Naptime isn't over yet."

The other girl snickered. The golden-haired boy was still in his seat. He just shook his head at the scene and looked back down at his phone.

Pulling a lighter out of his pocket, Axel bent forward so his eyes were level with Steve's. "Now, unless you want to find out if I like mutton chops cooked medium rare or well done," he flicked the lighter on, holding the flame within an inch of Steve's sideburns, causing him to flinch, "I suggest you start treating the lady with respect from this moment forward." He put the lighter out, his fingers curling around it before tapping his index finger against his temple. "Got it memorized, punk?"

The jock gulped, then nodded as best he could with his face smooshed against the desk.

"Good. Now scram," Axel commanded as he straightened up, giving Steve's head a shove before releasing it. Steve stumbled out of his chair and fled to the opposite side of the room where he huddled in a seat in the back corner, scowling as he wiped blood off his nose. Whispers and giggles from other students filled the air around him.

Retrieving his cigarette from behind his ear and putting it between his teeth with a toothy smirk, Axel winked at Elsa and stretched his arm out to one side. His lady friend obliged by stepping up beside him and he slung his arm over her shoulder. The pair of them then walked towards the doors leading outside, presumably to get a smoke in before class started. Elsa watched them go, wide-eyed and frozen where she stood.

Well… maybe not all people were bad…

Some were just violent, sadistic lunatics.

* * *

_**Author's Note:** Ahhhhh, so what'd you think? Please leave a comment and let me know! I know, not a lot to go on yet, but hopefully it's grabbed your interest and you'll stick around to see where this is going. And if you hadn't already guessed, no fire/ice powers in this story, but there were be references back to those (omg, SO many stupid silly lil references, you'll end up hating me before long I'm sure). But really, just a couple of muggles in your basic romcom. Sorry for the short chapter, but don't worry, I'm gonna hella make up for it next chapter, which, mis amigos, should be up in about a week! Side note, anyone know who Steve Abbington is in this chapter? He IS a certain Disney character if you get the (hopefully not too subtle) reference._

_Curious about the chapter title? Or even the story title? Worry not, that'll all make sense in due time._

_And FYI, each chapter is going to be from a certain character's point of view, either Elsa's or Axel's. It will still always remain third person, but it will be very obvious who's point of view it is... the two characters have VERY different narrators. This chapter was Elsa's narrator. Trust me, you'll know when Axel's narrator has reared its ugly head._

_Alright, sorry for the short essay, but I couldn't help it, I'm really excited about starting this story, and I ramble when I'm excited! Promise any future author's notes will be much smaller! Thanks again for reading and next chapter should be up next week!_


	2. T-Minus 22 Hours

**T-Minus 22 Hours**

Mickey's was a bar just a few blocks outside of the university's campus and was understandably a popular haunt for the college students that lived nearby. Of course, every undergrad's ID was checked to make sure they were of a legal drinking age, but that was an obstacle easily overcome by any resourceful underaged drinker - and when it comes to booze, any college student can become quite resourceful. The place was smoky, had dim lighting for "ambiance", pumped out loud music, and had a large dance floor constantly packed with undulating bodies.

In short, it wasn't one of Elsa's preferred places to study. In fact, it wasn't Elsa's preferred anything, really. However, that night found her occupying one of the small tables at Mickey's with several books open in front of her. Twirling a highlighter between her fingers while she read, it seemed she had successfully managed to block out her chaotic surroundings.

With her free hand, she picked up her glass of water and went to take a sip.

"Elsa!" an auburn-haired girl shrieked as she slammed both hands on her table, startling her into choking on her water.

That's okay. Who needed a little thing like oxygen? Oxygen was for pansies.

Coughing, Elsa croaked, "Anna, you frightened me."

"Oopsie. Sorry," she slurred.

She narrowed her eyes at her. "Are you drunk?"

"Psssh, no. I'm not even tipsy." Her ensuing giggle was punctuated with a hiccup.

Which was Anna Code for completely hammered. Elsa shouldn't have been surprised, seeing as the only reason she was studying here tonight was so she could be the other girl's designated driver. Still, the deal had been that Anna was only allowed to get buzzed, not totally wasted.

"Have you eaten anything?"

"I had a peanut!" Anna chirped proudly.

Elsa pressed her lips tightly together before pushing the plate of buffalo wings she had ordered across the table towards her. "Eat," she commanded.

Anna picked up a wing, scrutinized it a minute, then seemed to deem it worthy as she popped it in her mouth. "You know, some people believe these come from actual buffalos. Which is ridiculous." She paused as she reached for another one. "Everyone knows the _real_ wings on a buffalo are much bigger."

She smirked and decided to humor her. "I guess they'd have to be to support their sheer mass."

"Exactly! I mean, look at the size of these things," she held one up and practically shoved it into Elsa's face. "What are these, wings for ants?!"

Snorting, she pushed Anna's hand away and slid her glass over to her. "Drink this."

She made a face as she eyed the liquid. "Yuck! How can you drink that stuff? That stuff is poison!"

"...water is poison?"

"Yes!"

"Well, then it's amazing how the human race survives given that our bodies are made up of 60% water. Now drink."

Anna scoffed in disgust before picking up the glass and pretending to take a sip from it, looking rather pleased with her deception. She might have gotten away with it, if her glass hadn't been made of… well, glass, making it obvious she wasn't drinking anything.

"You know-" Anna began as she pulled the cup away from her lips, but was interrupted when Elsa tipped it back up to her mouth.

"I saw that. Drink," she told her once again. "All of it."

She rolled her eyes, swayed slightly where she stood, then did as she was told, cringing the whole time. Once the glass had been drained, she stuck out her tongue. "Blech! I can't believe you made me do that!"

"I know, I'm such a horrible, terrible sister for trying to keep you hydrated," she chuckled as she looked back down at her textbook. Anna reached across the table and slammed the book shut. "Hey!"

"You," Anna stated firmly, "need a break."

She propped her chin against her knuckles, one corner of her lips turned up. "A break? And do what?"

"Oh, I don't know, live a little."

"But I am living. See this thing I'm doing?" She pointed at her nose. "It's called breathing. It indicates that I am alive."

"You know what I mean! Your such a goody two-shoes, you never _do_ anything besides study. Let loose and party! Get drunk! Snog a guy!"

She quirked an eyebrow. "You want me to snog a guy?"

"Yes. That is what I want. I want you to snog a guy."

"I'll make sure to add that to your Christmas list then."

She slammed her fist against the table. "Oh, come on, Sis! Look around. Do you even realize how many of the guys here are dying to shag your brains out?"

"Goodness. First snogging, now shagging. How British you become when you're drunk."

"M'not drunk. _You're_ drunk," Anna said petulantly.

"Ah. My mistake."

"Don't try to c… confu...con…" she stumbled over the word a few times before giving up. "Don't change the subject! Go on, get out there! Talk! Flirt! Be merry!"

"Anna. You know I don't do people."

"But I'm not telling you to do _people_. I'm telling you to do _one person_. Just one." She held up a single finger with a wink and another hiccup.

She laughed and admonished, "Anna…"

"How about Kris?" she suggested enthusiastically. "Oh, you should go for Kris! I think you'd really like Kris!"

"...who?"

"He's the bartender." She pointed in the direction of the bar. The man serving drinks behind it was cute, blonde and burly. He was with a couple customers, but noticed Anna and Elsa looking his way. He gave them a smile and a wave.

Elsa returned the wave weakly. "Well, I'm sure Chris is-"

"Kris," Anna corrected.

She frowned. "That's what I said."

"No, you said Chris with a C. His name is Kris with a K."

Oddly enough, she was right. "How would you even- never mind. I'm sure _Kris_ with a _K_ is very, ah… very nice and all, but-"

"No," she whined, "you always do this!" She scowled briefly, then brightened. "Fine! You love homework so much, then I have an assignment for you!"

"Oh? And what would that be, Professor?" she teased as she crossed her arms.

"Damn right, I'm a professor. Professor of _Love_ ," she said, drawing out the word. "Alright, you're homework is to not leave the bar tonight without at least one guy's phone number."

"And if I don't? Do I get detention?"

"You'll _wish_ all you got was detention, Missy!" She jabbed a finger into Elsa's collarbone while narrowing her eyes. "Don't cross me."

She held up her hands. "I wouldn't dream of incurring your wrath," she said solemnly while doing her best to suppress a smile.

Perking up, Anna said, "Good! Now go make me proud while I go get another drink!" She paused, eyes shifting, then amended slowly, "...of water."

"I'm sure that's what you meant," she grinned, watching her sister stagger off and disappear into the crowd once more.

She had no intentions whatsoever of obtaining the phone number. Odds were her sister wouldn't even remember this conversation in the morning, much less what she had tasked Elsa with. Shaking her head, she opened her textbook once more and flipped through the pages looking for where she had left off.

Then she felt it. An itch between her shoulder blades that told her someone's eyes were on her. Anna's words from earlier came back to her. Were guys really checking her out? Nah, she was just being paranoid now. Still, that itch would not go away. She did her best to ignore it, but after a minute, she gave in and glanced around.

Her eyes immediately were drawn to a shock of familiar red hair that stood out of the sea of people like a beacon. Axel. He was seated at a booth on the other side of the room with a beer bottle in hand and his arm around a girl, the same one from class earlier with the weird hairstyle. He wasn't looking at Elsa though. He seemed to be intently studying the pattern decorating the surface of his table as his date animatedly talked his ear off.

She let her eyes linger on the couple for a few seconds before looking away to scan the rest of the bar. As far as she could tell, no one was looking her direction.

The itch was gone.

Shrugging it off, she located the page she was searching for and returned to her studying.

* * *

Every muscle in Elsa's body felt stiff as she stretched her limbs and rolled the kinks out of her neck. Checking the time on her phone, her eyes widened. Midnight already? She hadn't been studying _that_ long, had she? Anna hadn't checked in with her recently, so it seemed she had just lost track of time.

She took a moment to glance around the still bustling bar, but could find no signs of Anna. She took a look at her phone a second time and realized she had missed a text from her about an hour ago. She tapped on the text message and read it.

_hukdup w d qt nqmed hsms. a;rdy lft, sry d8nt say gudbi. dnt w8 yp. cu n murnin._

Okay, so Anna's text messaging habits were already atrocious to begin with when she was sober. But when she was drunk? Yeah, good luck with that. Thankfully, Elsa had had plenty of past experiencing deciphering Anna's messages, sober or drunk, so it didn't take her that long to figure it out:

_Hooked up with a cutie. Already left, sorry didn't say goodbye. Don't wait up. See you in the morning._

The only part that had eluded her was the name of this alleged cutie, which Anna had also included in her message. From the letters she had been given to work with, possibilities included "Hand" and "Hams." Totally legit guesses.

Was she worried about the fact that Anna had gone home with a complete stranger while totally plastered? Of course. Worrying was what big sisters were for. But Anna was a big girl who could take care of herself, and drunken one night stands were kind of her thing. So, Elsa's reply was short and to the point:

_Use protection._

Welp, guess it was time to head home. Wishing she had seen the message earlier, she began to close up her books and pack up all her stuff into her bag. A couple minutes later, her table was clear as she slung her bag over her shoulder.

She paused, peeking out of the corner of her eyes towards the booth Axel had been sitting at earlier. A group of different people now occupied it and he was nowhere to be seen. Looked like he had left at some point as well.

Not that she cared, of course. Why should she?

As she made her way towards the door, she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She took it out to find that Anna had responded to her.

_yes MOM_

Chuckling, she exited Mickey's and turned the corner, where her toe promptly collided with a rather large rock.

"Ow," said the rock.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she exclaimed.

Wait, hold it. Did she just apologize to a talking rock?

"S'okay," it replied.

...and did it just forgive her? Okay, Elsa, maybe you had knocked back a few too many tonight.

Wait a second… all she had been knocking back was water.

Pocketing her phone, she looked down to discover the rock was actually not a rock. It was in fact someone's head. Axel's head, to be exact. He was lying on the ground, back flat against the sidewalk, legs crossed and propped up against the wall. His long legs made his feet almost level with her shoulders. There was a small purple bruise forming just under his left eye that had not been there earlier. The upside down teardrop mark under that same eye was smudged - guess it wasn't a tattoo after all. He had a cigarette between his fingers that he was currently taking a drag from.

She just stared at him blankly for a few seconds in silence. "You're Axel," she said finally.

As if he didn't know his own name.

"And you're Elsa," he replied matter-of-factly.

She blinked. "How do you know my name?"

Thin tendrils of smoke escaped his nostrils. "I have my ways."

Okay. She couldn't decide if that came across as mysterious or just sort of creepy. She decided to reserve judgement for the time being. She hesitated, then asked, "Why are you lying on the sidewalk?"

"Because lying in the street would be stupid."

"...hard to argue with that logic."

Was he drunk? He sounded pretty articulate if he was.

She took a quick glance around before looking back down at him. He seemed to be alone.

Why was she talking to him? She should really just go, get in her car, and drive back home. Instead, she asked, "Where's that girl you were with earlier?"

"She got mad. She left."

"Is that where that shiner your sporting came from?"

He shrugged. "Turns out she's one dynamic lady."

Guess that was his way of saying yes. It also kind of sounded like his way of saying that chick was a psychotic hag.

"What'd you do?"

"Dunno really. Something about me not paying attention to her, I think?" He took another pull from his cigarette, held it in, then blew a few smoke rings.

"...maybe you should have been paying more attention to her," Elsa suggested.

"Bah, it's fine, she never pays attention to me either."

"Wow, sounds like true love."

"Whatever, it's tit for tat." He snerked with a wry grin. "I said tat."

Yup. Definitely drunk. That, or he was a third-grader for finding that funny. A very tall, nicotine-addicted third grader that spent his nights at bars. Yeah, the latter sounded more likely. But on the off chance he wasn't a really messed up grade schooler and was indeed simply drunk, she asked, "Do you have a way to get yourself home?"

"Yup. Speaking of, guess my smoke break's over." He brought the cigarette to his lips one more time, the tip flaring up orange as he inhaled deeply, before putting it out on the pavement next to his head. He then lifted his legs up off the wall and brought his feet down to lay flat on the floor.

"So, someone's coming to pick you up?" she pressed.

"Nah. I'm taking my motorcycle."

...a motorcycle? In his condition? Then again, maybe he wasn't actually drunk. Maybe he was just weird.

He attempted to get up. Instead, he only managed to look like a turtle stuck on its back unable to right itself. He gave up after flailing for a bit.

Oh dear.

"Little help?" he asked, reaching a hand up towards her.

Her eyes shifted from the proffered hand back down to his face. A beat, then Elsa clasped her hands around his arm. "Are you sure that's the best idea?" she asked as she awkwardly attempted pull him onto his feet and he didn't budge. "Riding your motorcycle? Because you seem a little- _eep!_ " she squeaked as he nearly yanked her down onto the ground with him while he pulled on her arm in an attempt to stand up. Struggling to stay upright herself, it took a minute, but they finally got him onto his feet.

He wobbled slightly. "A little what?"

"A little, ah… shall we say blitzed?"

"You think I'm shitfaced? Bah. I'm as sober as a priest on Sunday!" he said. Then he wobbled again.

Right. Why did drunk people always feel the need to deny just how loaded they were? Deciding not to argue with him just yet, she asked, "Where is your bike parked?"

"In Murky's lot." He raised an unsteady arm to point a finger towards it.

She looked where he was pointing, then quirked an eyebrow as she glanced at him again. "...you mean _Mickey's_ lot, which is," she took hold of his arm and swerved it in the completely opposite direction, " _that_ way?"

"Yup. I was just testing you. You passed. Good job!" He held up his hand towards her. She hesitated before giving him a tentative high-five.

"Well... I'm parked there too, so I'll walk with you."

"Good call. These streets are dangerous at this time of night," he nodded sagely.

Sure. Because that's why she had suggested it. For safety reasons. Not because she was seriously doubting at this point the guy could even locate his bike on his own, much less ride it.

They walked towards the parking lot, which was just on the other side of Mickey's. When they reached the corner of the building, Elsa turned but Axel kept walking straight. He would have walked right passed it, but Elsa hooked her hand into his elbow, forcing him to turn with a stumble into the car park.

There were a few motorcycles scattered among the spaces. When she asked which one was his, he seemed to need a minute to consider it before walking towards the one that was parked right next to her car.

How convenient.

She chewed her bottom lip as they approached the motorcycle. "Are you sure you're okay to ride?"

"I told ya already, I'm _fine_." He then proceeded to mount his bike. Backwards. He put his hands out in front of him, grasping at the air above his back tire, before blinking a couple times. "Hey, where'd my handgrips go?"

Yeah, no. He wasn't getting himself home. No way. Not happening.

"That's it, I'm driving you," Elsa said firmly, grabbing him by the arm. He stumbled to his feet as she dragged him off the bike.

"Okay, I guess. But only because someone stole my handlebars."

She briefly considered showing him that they had in fact not been stolen, but decided against it. He'd only get back on his bike if he knew, and then immediately crash into something. Like a telephone pole. Or a hydrant. Or a police car. Instead, she diplomatically said, "I'm sure they'll turn up in the morning."

"They better. Otherwise I'm gonna have to cut a bitch."

"For sure."

He narrowed his eyes at her as she lead him around to the passenger side of her car. "You patronizing me?"

"I would never."

"Good. Because if you were, I would have to-"

"-cut a bitch?" she helpfully supplied as she unlocked the door and gave him a gentle shove into her car.

He all but collapsed into the seat in an undignified heap, giving her a couple woozy blinks. "How'd you know?"

She smiled sweetly. "Lucky guess." She then slammed the door shut and walked back around to the driver side.

What was up with her tonight? It wasn't like her to pick up strangers after midnight and give them rides home. It also wasn't like her to talk to random drunk people that she ran into on the street. Hell, besides Anna, it wasn't like her to talk to people, period. But Axel wasn't just people. He had helped her out earlier that day. She was just returning the favor, she reasoned.

As she got behind the steering wheel, she closed her door and asked, "Did you fasten your seat belt?"

"Yes."

She looked at him. He hadn't. She quirked an eyebrow at him. "Are you lying to me?"

"No," he replied innocently. As if she couldn't clearly see that he was not buckled in.

She held out her hand, waiting for him to give her the seat belt. "Hand it over."

"Hand what over?"

She sighed. Dealing with drunks was kind of like dealing with toddlers. Maybe that's why this situation wasn't bothering her. Toddlers she could handle. She liked toddlers. It was adults she couldn't stand.

"The seat belt," she said patiently.

"No, you're just going to buckle me in with it."

"...yes, that's kind of the point."

He just stubbornly crossed his arms. Deciding on a different tactic, Elsa said, "Fine, can I just see it?" He stared at her in silence. "Please? Just for a second?"

"Why, what do you want it for?"

"To show you a trick."

That seemed to catch his interest. Eyeing her suspiciously, he reached over his shoulder and pulled out the seat belt, handing her the buckle. Without a word, she clicked it into holster beside his seat.

"Hey!" he protested, sounding as betrayed as if she had stabbed him in the back. "You buckled it!"

"That was the trick."

"...I don't get it."

She grinned, suppressing a laugh. "That's okay. It _was_ a bit complex."

She fastened herself in as well before placing her key in the ignition and starting up her car. "What about my bike?" she heard Axel ask.

She glanced out her window at the motorcycle. "You can come back for it tomorrow."

"It better still be there. Otherwise, you owe me a new bike," he declared.

She considered his words for a moment. "Well, I wouldn't owe you a _whole_ motorcycle."

He frowned. "Why not?"

Doing her best to keep a straight face, she responded, "Because that one is missing handlebars, remember?"

He didn't respond right away. She could practically see the liquor-coated gears turning in his head. Finally, he said, "Fine. If someone steals it, the new one you get me doesn't have to have handlebars."

"Deal." She backed out of the parking space, shifted into Drive and pressed down on the gas pedal.

Axel pressed his face up against the window as the car moved passed his motorcycle, waving his hand from side to side. "Bye, Baby. Daddy's gonna miss you!" he crooned, fogging up the glass with his breath.

"Talking to your bike? Really?" she snorted. "And please don't call yourself Daddy. It's kind of disturbing."

He looked at her, his expression blank. "...but Baby needs to know that Daddy's gonna miss her."

"...right. Okay then."

Who knew this guy was such a dork? Was he really the same person who had slammed that jerk's head into a desk in class today?

As she turned out of the parking lot, Axel mumbled, "So, you… uh… like to study, huh?"

Oh, was the lush trying to make small talk? How adorable. He must have seen her in the bar with all her books. She shrugged as she pulled up to a stop sign. "I guess. Studying's my jam."

Wow, did she really just say that? How lame.

"Can I be your peanut butter?"

She stared at him. He returned her stare. Then she raised an eyebrow and asked, "...does that line actually work?"

He turned to look out the window, resting his chin in his palm. "Apparently not," he mumbled.

Shaking her head, she moved the car forward. "So, where do you live?"

His head snapped back around to face her as he demanded, "Why?"

Confused at his reaction, she responded, "Um… so I can drive you home?"

He narrowed his eyes dubiously. "Are you sure it's not because you're a stalker?"

She snorted and tried not to roll her eyes. "...I'm pretty sure."

He watched her for a few more seconds before he seemingly decided she was trustworthy. "The Thirteen."

"Okay… thirteen what?"

"What do ya mean, thirteen what? The Thirteen," he repeated.

"Is thirteen a house number? What's the street name?"

"It's not an address, it's just the Thirteen."

She frowned. "I don't know what that means."

"How can you not know what the Thirteen is? I mean, come on, it's the Thirteen!"

Well, this was getting nowhere fast.

"How about this: would you be able to give me directions?"

He perked up like a puppy. "Yeah, I can do that! Okay, so, go straight for three stoplights, then turn right, then another right, go under the bridge, then over the rainbow, down the rabbit hole, through wardrobe, second star on the right, then straight on 'til morning."

That hung in the air for a few seconds before Elsa said, "You're too drunk to remember how to get home, aren't you?"

"...maybe just a little bit."

She drummed her fingers along the steering wheel. What was she going to do with him now? It was kind of difficult to drive him home if neither of them knew where his home was. And she couldn't exactly just leave him on the side of the road. She sighed, "I guess I'll just take you back to my place."

His eyes widened. "Wha- really? Well, that escalated quickly! Guess I shouldn't be surprised though, it was only a matter of time before you succumbed to be raw sexual magnetism. But if we're gonna do this, there are two things you gotta know. A," he began, ticking off one finger, "my safe word is pelicans."

She blinked at him.

"Two," he went on, raising another finger, "Go for my ears. If you wanna drive me crazy, they're my sweet spot. Use teeth. Tongue is good, but teeth are fantastic."

She blinked a second time.

"A1," Axel continued as he ticked off a third finger, apparently categorizing by steak sauces now. And hold up, wasn't there only supposed to be two things? "My safe word is pelicans." Nevermind. It was just the first one again.

"...what exactly do you think is going to happen tonight?" she asked slowly.

There was a pause. "...what do _you_ think is going to happen?" he slurred.

"I think I'm taking you to my apartment so you can _sleep_ off your intoxication in my _guest_ room."

He scratched the back of his head. "Right. Yeah. I knew that."

"Clearly."

Her home wasn't that far from Mickey's by car. It was only a few minutes later that she was pulling into her parking space outside the apartment she shared with Anna. In order to avoid any further obstacles with the seat belt, she unbuckled Axel's for him. Then she got out of her car, went around to the passenger side, and went to open the door. What she did not anticipate was it being locked.

She also did not anticipate Axel's giggle. An actual, honest-to-God giggle. He sounded like a little girl on a freaking sugar rush.

Sighing through her nose, she pressed a button on her key fob and the door unlocked with a pop. As she opened the door, he dazedly said, "Woah, how'd you do that?"

"Magic."

"Do it again!"

Quirking an eyebrow, she pressed the button a few more times. The latch in the door moved up and down a few times, locking and unlocking.

Axel watched in awe. Then he clapped. And, once again, giggled.

He _seriously_ found this amusing? It seemed like he was getting drunker by the minute. Was that even possible?

"Okay, magic shows over. Time to go," she said, pocketing the fob and helping him out of the seat. As she closed the door behind him and locked the car, he took a few uneven steps before stopping. Eyeing him with a frown, she asked, "You good to walk?"

"Of course, no problemo." His legs then immediately proceeded to collapse under him. Moving quickly, she caught him before he fully fell down, her shoulder under his arm to hold him up. She staggered under his weight.

Jeez, why was he so heavy? The boy was a stick!

Glancing at his face out of the corner of her eye, it looked like he was still conscious, but was fading fast. He wouldn't be walking on his own anytime soon.

"Mmm… you smell nice," his voice tickled in her ear as she began walking, his feet slowly dragging beside hers. "...like snow."

"Um… thanks? I didn't know snow had a scent."

"Sure it does. It smells all crisp and fluffy and cool, like… like…" As he struggled for the word he was looking for, they came up to a gate. There was a small courtyard in front of her apartment, fenced off by large metal bars covered in vines. It was awkward balancing Axel while digging out her key, but she managed to do it and get the gate unlocked. As she swung it open, he had a surge of inspiration. "Like peppermint!"

"Snow… smells like peppermint?"

Now that wasn't right.

"Duh. Didn't you know?"

"Guess I've been sniffing the wrong snow." She guided him through the courtyard and stopped in front of her door. Lifting his arm off her shoulder, she straightened him up and cautiously released her hold on him. "Think you can manage to stand on your own long enough for me to get the door open?"

He swayed a little but managed to stay upright. "Heh. Can I stand? Can an orangutan do the tango?"

That was an interesting question. Could it? She ventured a guess, "...yes?"

" _Hell_ yes, I can stand. I can stand like nobody's business. I've won awards for my standing. I could stand for days."

She snorted. "Well, champ, I only need you to do it for just a few seconds."

He gave her an unsteady, two-fingered salute. She watched him for another second, reluctant to take her eyes off him, before hastily turning to the door. The more time she spent worrying about him face planting into the ground, the more likely he would _actually_ face plant. She inserted her key and unlocked the door with a click. A sudden loud _thud_ made her practically jump out of her skin and spin back around.

The sound had been caused by Axel's elbow colliding with the the spot on the door just above her head. He had used it to catch himself from falling on top of her. He was now slumping forward, arm still pressed against the door for support.

And his face was hardly an inch away from hers.

Startled, she pressed her back against the door, but that did little to add distance between them. He wore a crooked little smirk and his eyes were hooded, half obscuring his vibrant green irises that seemed to all but glow in the dark. Seeing him this up close was a reminder of just how good-looking he was. She felt her cheeks heating up and her heartbeat pick up the pace.

No boy had a right to be so damn pretty!

It was also hard not to be jealous of his winged eyeliner skills. She was pretty sure it looked way better on him than it ever would on her. No fair!

"I have a secret," he whispered sluggishly. His breath smelled of cinnamon and ash.

Her mouth was dry and it took her a second to find her voice. "Is that so?"

Still smirking, he nodded before waggling a finger at her as he continued in his hushed tone, "But I'm not telling." Then he poked her on the tip of the nose, saying, "Boop!"

Oh, right. Mental equivalent of a five-year old. She'd almost forgotten.

"Well, good for you. That's very, ah… very responsible of you. Secrets aren't meant to be told, that's why they're secrets." She placed a hand on his chest, gingerly pushing him away from her, but careful not to make him tip over in the opposite direction. To be on the safe side, she held onto his sleeve to keep him steady, using her other hand to open the door. Letting him lean against her shoulder once more, she lead him inside and used her foot to kick the door shut behind her.

"You said this place was an apartment, not a freaking castle," Axel said as he looked around.

Ignoring his comment, she began to walk him through the living room. It was extremely spacious, filled with lavish, cushy furniture and expensive-looking decor adorning the walls. Straight ahead of them was an archway that lead into a dining room that could rival the living room in both size and grandeur, and to the right was a hallway that lead to the rest of her home.

She turned down the hall, taking him into the first door on the right. Flicking the wall switch, the room lit up. This room was also rather sizable and well-furnished, if a bit plain. It was just a guest room, after all.

He blinked. "Damn, how did you manage to fit so much apartment into this place?"

"I'm a Time Lord. I use bigger-on-the-inside technology," she deadpanned, crossing the room and dumping him unceremoniously onto the king-size bed.

"A Time Lord?" He flopped about for a bit before managing to sit up. His eyes were wide. "Are... are you here to take me on adventures through time and space?"

She couldn't help the laugh the bubbled out of her throat. His face just looked so hopeful and full of wonder. She was slightly surprised, she had not expected him to get the reference. Well hello, fellow Whovian!

Sobering, she answered solemnly, "Tomorrow. Adventures through time and space require a good night's sleep beforehand."

He nodded earnestly and it was hard for her not to laugh again. "Yeah, okay, that makes sense." He clumsily took off his shoes, probably preparing to go to bed. He then followed it by lifting up his shirt. Elsa just stared for a second.

... _nice_.

The boy may have been a stick, but he was a _well toned_ stick.

The effect was somewhat ruined when he got his shirt stuck on his head while trying to remove it. She watched him a minute as he struggled with it before she asked, "What are you doing?"

"What's it look like?" he responded, voice muffled by fabric. "Taking my shirt off."

"Yeah, but why?"

He twisted around in his efforts to get it off, angling himself so she got a view of his back. There was a tattoo on his right shoulder blade depicting a wheel with spikes protruding around the rim. _Interesting._ "Cuz I can't sleep in shirts. They're all hot and stuffy and make me itchy."

"Oh. Okay."

"Normally I sleep in the nude, but I won't tonight," he went on conversationally, still fighting with the shirt. She was curious to see how long this would go on. "Cuz I'm a gentleman."

She quirked an eyebrow. "...are you saying keeping your pants on makes you a gentleman?"

"Damn skippy." He momentarily abandoned his efforts towards freeing his head, instead lifting up one hand. All his fingers were curled shut except for his little finger which he held up and straight.

Elsa tilted her head to one side. "...are you raising your pinky?"

"I am. Do you know why?"

"...because you're a classy gentleman?"

"Cuz I'm a classy _as fuck_ gentleman!" he corrected boisterously.

He looked absolutely ridiculous.

Shaking her head with a grin, she sighed, "Alright, Mr. Gentleman, let me give you a hand with that." She stepped in front of him, grabbed a fistful of shirt and gave a gentle tug. It slipped right off his head without the slightest resistance. This wasn't exactly rocket science.

"Thanks," he grinned, running a hand through his fiery locks.

She nodded, then there was a brief lull. A lull in which she suddenly became acutely aware of her current situation.

She was alone in a room with a boy. A boy who was painfully attractive. A boy on a bed. A boy who was notorious for his borderline Casanova complex. A boy whose decision-making was currently libatiously compromised. A boy who she had just helped take off his shirt. A boy with glorious pectorals and come-hither eyes wreathed in sex eyeliner.

Feeling awkward all of a sudden, she hurriedly backed away from him. "Um… so, yeah. This is your room for the night," she blurted, sweeping her arms wide to indicate the space. She pointed, "Your bed." She jerked a thumb over her shoulder towards the door leading back out into the hall, "If you need the bathroom, it'll be to your left. And that's it. So, I think I'll-"

"Elsa," he interrupted her.

She twitched. "Yes?"

A grin tugged at one corner of his mouth. "You never asked me what my secret was."

Her brow furrowed. "Well… you said you weren't going to tell. So I figured I shouldn't ask."

"But I wanted you to ask."

She slowly crossed her arms. "Okay… then, what's your secret?"

"You have to promise not to tell Axel I told you."

"...you want me to keep your secret from yourself?"

"No, not me. _Axel_." He made a frustrated noise in his throat as he tried to organize his addled thoughts. " _Sober_ Axel. He'd straight up seppuku my ass if he knew I told you."

"...your ass? I don't think that's how seppuku works…"

"Promise me," he insisted.

"Fine, I promise."

He raised his little finger once again and held it out towards her. "Pinky swear."

She quirked an eyebrow. "Really?" she asked flatly. His expression was stern and brooked no argument. "Fine," she gave in, hooking her pinky in his. "Now what is it?"

"There was a reason I wasn't paying attention to that girl."

"Girl? ...the one you were at the bar with?" At his nod, she said, "Okay... so what was the reason?"

"It's cuz instead I was paying attention to you."

She blinked. Then her eyes drifted to his bruise again. "So that's why she punched you?"

He brushed his fingers against the purple blotch just beneath his eye. "Yeah, she didn't like that," he slurred.

"So why were you staring at me then?" Elsa asked. Then she snorted. "Fascinated by the uptight loser who was studying in the middle of a bar?"

He shook his head. "No, it's cuz I-" he abruptly stopped, eyes shifting around the room suspiciously. He then crooked his finger at her. "Come closer."

She narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

"Cuz this is the secret. Gotta whisper the secret."

Come on, seriously?

She fixed him with a blank look for a few seconds. Then she relented and reluctantly stepped towards him. He gestured for her to get closer still, and with a sigh, she bent forward. He cupped a hand to her ear and when he spoke, she could hardly hear him.

"Cuz I got a crush on you."

Say _what?_

Her head snapped back and her spine went rigidly straight. She stumbled backwards and she stared at him. Just stared for a moment. Then her hands flew up to clasp over her mouth. Her face began to turn red.

Then her cheeks puffed up. She spluttered and her eyes watered slightly. And then, unable to contain it any longer, she burst out laughing.

"Y-you're joking, right?" she wheezed out between giggles. "A _crush?_ What is this, elementary school? Just how drunk are you?"

"I'm serious!" he argued, but his protests only made her laugh harder. He flopped back on the bed, resting his head on the pillow and pouting while he waited.

When she managed to settle down a bit, she said, "Oh wow, I bet you say this to all the girls. Do they really eat this stuff up?"

"But I don't. I don't say it to all the girls," he sulked. "Just you. From the first moment I saw you, I thought you were the most beautiful girl to ever walk the face of the planet."

"Oh please, what a line." This was the supposed bad boy that she had heard all those rumors about? This cheeseball? "You don't even know a thing about me."

"I know you're smart… and determined. And sweet. You really like to laugh, even though you don't do it that often. You're shy so you have a hard time showing it, but you're actually very caring towards others. You have a big heart, but I don't think you even know it."

She frowned, scratching her cheek. "...who's the stalker now, hm?" Was any of that even true about her? She'd certainly like to think so, but then, who wouldn't? Besides… caring towards others? Big heart? Psh. Yeah right. People hater here, remember? "Are you just saying stuff that you think I want to hear?"

He shrugged and yawned. "I just calls it like I sees it. And it's easy to see for anyone who cares to look."

She harrumphed. "Okay then… if you're crushing on me so hard, why haven't you ever done anything about it before?"

His eyelids were drooping heavily. "Not good enough," he mumbled, closing his eyes.

"What wasn't good enough?" She cocked her head to one side. "...did you think... _you_ weren't good enough?" He gave her no answer. Her frown deepened. "Why would you think that?"

This time he did respond.

By snoring.

She remained still momentarily before releasing a soft huff. "Seriously? You passed out in the space of two seconds?"

He snored again.

Rolling her eyes and shaking her head, she went to the chest at the foot of the bed. Axel has fallen asleep on top of the sheets and bed covers. Not wanting him to get cold, she pulled an extra blanket out of the chest and tossed it over him. She then stared at him for a few seconds longer, pursing her lips.

"...good night, you dweeb."

She left the room, turning off the light and closing the door behind her. As she walked towards her bedroom, she mulled over what he had told her. Then she chuckled softly. It was all nothing. It had to be. Just the ramblings of guy who had had a little too much to drink. Alcohol probably just made him extra flirty. Or maybe he had thought she was someone else. Drunk people don't exactly see straight. Yeah, that was probably it.

...right?

* * *

_**Author's Note:** And thus, a chain of events has been set in motion... hehehehe._

_What'd ya think? Please let me know! This is actually one of the most fun times I've had writing a chapter. I like it when Elsa and Anna get along and don't have a wall between them like in the movie. I figure without a big obstacle like those pesky secret ice powers in the way, the sisters would have been super close! I also really enjoy writing drunk Axel, and really, really enjoy writing Elsa's reactions to him. The only part I'm feeling uncertain about is the very end, but hopefully it's good enough!_

_If this feels a bit dialogue heavy, get used to it, because that's gonna be a majority of this story. Also, lotsa cliché and next to no drama. Because sometimes you just need to kill a few brain cells by reading some cheesy mush.  I'm letting ya'll know now so if that's not your thing, you can get out while the getting's good!_

_However, if you liked this and are in it for the long haul, then you, my friend, are a divine, majestic creature with fabulous taste ;) Thank you for reading!_ _Be back next week for a new chapter!_


	3. T-Minus 17 Hours

**T-Minus 17 Hours**

Fuck. If eyeballs had vocal cords, his would be screaming bloody murder right now.

With a groan, Axel realized he must have fallen asleep with his damn contacts still in again. He raised his hands to his face and fumbled with trying to remove them. After being unsuccessful for several seconds, he discerned that his eyelids were still, in fact, closed. That probably wasn't helping. Probably. His eyes protested angrily as he cracked them open and he attempted once again to take his lenses out.

The only thing he managed to accomplish was stabbing himself in the eye with a fingernail. That didn't help either. Unless pissing him off was helping. Then it was was helping tons.

Releasing a muddled string of curse words, he finally peeled the contacts off his corneas and tossed them aside, not caring where they landed.

Begone, foul torture devices of Satan! Return to the bowels of Hades from whence thou came!

It was dark. Probably middle of the night still. Where was he? This wasn't his bed. He sat up and the world spun around him. Ugh, was he drunk? Time to find out. He kicked off the blanket and got up off the bed.

His face promptly decided to make close, personal friends with the floor.

Yup. Inebriation confirmed.

Fucking gravity.

His muscles like jelly, it took some time and effort to push himself up off the ground and stumble to his feet. He dragged one foot cautiously forward and threw his arms out in order to keep his balance. Then he dragged his other foot forward. Then the first one again. Sweet. He was getting the hang of this whole walking thing. Gaining confidence, he picked up the pace a bit. Yeah, he was really moving along now. Walking like a boss. Look out, world, here comes-

He collided painfully with a cool, hard, plaster surface.

Fucking walls. Why did buildings always have to have so many damn walls?

His hands clumsily ran over the wall until he found a door. Few more seconds of searching resulted in locating the doorknob. He turned it and pulled the door open, taking a step forward and leaning against the frame as he looked around.

Where the hell was he? Nothing looked familiar. Of course, it was kind of hard to recognize your surroundings when said surroundings kept twirling and swimming about like a goddamn rendition of _Under the Sea_. He really needed to stop crashing in strangers' homes when he was smashed.

Though to be perfectly blunt, he didn't really care where he was at the moment. He was instead more concerned with where the _bathroom_ was. Whoever's place this was, surely they had told him that at some point, right? Searching his alcohol saturated brain was kind of like sifting through murky, muddy waters, but he eventually came up with something. He had been told it would be on the… left? Maybe?

Okay. Left. Good. Time to go left.

...which way was left again?

He pondered that question for a moment as he scratched his shoulder. Then he snapped his fingers. Brain flash! He held up both his hands in front of his face. They wobbled as he curled shut all his fingers except for the index finger and thumb on each hand, holding them out straight and creating ninety-degree angles with them. Alright, whichever one formed the L was the one on his left side. He stared blearily at his hands.

… what the fuck did an L look like again?

Screw it. He dropped his hands to his sides and picked a direction to start walking. He had a fifty-fifty chance of being correct. He liked those odds. Groping the wall for guidance, he came upon another door. Opening it he discovered… the bathroom!

Success!

He took care of business and then washed his hands. He left the water running and squinted down at it a few seconds. Then he bent forward, stuck his head in the sink and drank directly out of the faucet.

Water. That stuff was good shit.

He hoped whoever lived here wouldn't mind that he was getting to first base with the bathroom sink.

Thirst quenched, he straightened back up and turned the faucet off. Then he lumbered over to the door, opened it and once again propped himself against the doorframe.

Okay… now how was he supposed to get back again?

So many doors, so many doors… why did buildings always have to have so many damn doors? Doors and walls both. It was like a freaking epidemic. Should just do away with the whole lot of them, would really uncomplicate things.

Alright, Axel, focus. How did you get to the bathroom?

By going left.

Okay, so then it followed that if he wanted to get back to his bed, he would have to go…

...left?

Sure, why not! It had worked out for him the first time!

Inching hand over hand against the wall to keep upright, he made his way down the hall until he came to another door. The room he entered was dark. Made sense, the room he had been sleeping in had been dark. He shuffled along until his leg came into contact with something soft and mattress-like. Ah, the bed. Salvation! He crawled under the covers, burrowed his face into the pillow and promptly blacked out.

* * *

...something smelled really… nice…

Actually, something smelled _fantastic_. Heavenly, even. It smelled like… Elsa?

Okay, Axel ol' boy, we know you have it bad for this girl and kind of have this whole secret admirer thing going on, but how the hell do you know what she smells like? You're starting to come across a little stalker-ish.

Hm… maybe this was just a dream…

Dream-Elsa smelled really fucking good.

He nuzzled his nose into the scent, inhaling deeply, and felt something tickling his face. Her hair? So, apparently Dream-Elsa's back was to him. In fact, her form was curled up against his torso and she seemed to be asleep, if her breathing was any indication. His arm was draped around her waist and his leg latched over her thigh.

Hm… spooning wasn't normally how his dreams like this started. But then, normally they didn't include Elsa either, so he wasn't going to complain. He had to take advantage of this dream before he woke up.

He lifted his head just enough to bury his face in the crook of her neck. He felt the pulse of her heartbeat against his lips and he began trailing light kisses along it.

This elicited a tiny, sleepy sigh from her. Dear lord, he never would have imagined such a sweet sound could exist.

Well… maybe he could have imagined… this was his dream after all...

He slowly removed his hand from her waist, trailing his fingertips up her arm. With a gentle tug, he pulled her onto back and his lips found hers. He kissed her softly at first, then deepened it. She tasted indescribably delicious. It was intoxicating, but not half as intoxicating as her barely audible moan he felt humming against his lips.

Jesus fucking Christ, did he want her. With a growl that rumbled deep in his throat, his hand returned to her waist, turning her to face him as he pulled her against him. His fingers found their way under her shirt and caressed the bare skin of her back underneath. It was so warm, so soft… so god damn unbelievably soft.

Her cool fingertips brushed against his chest, igniting his skin. He broke the kiss, trailing hungry kisses down her jaw and neck. He continued down her throat until a strap from her tank top obstructed his path. He hooked a finger in it and pulled the offending bit of fabric down her arm and out of his way as his lips continued on to her shoulder, gently nibbling. She tasted amazing... like strawberry cheesecake. And not just any plain old strawberry cheesecake... like the best damn fucking strawberry cheesecake in the the whole freaking universe. The kind you just want to savor every second of and yet, at the same time just…

...wanted to devour whole...

He bit her.

"Ow!"

...Ow? Well, that wasn't a very dream-like response.

A sharp intake of breath could be heard. "What are you-?!"

Crap. This wasn't a dream.

That's the only thing his brain was able to process before a knee slammed hard into his gut. With a wheeze, his eyes snapped opened and he frantically scrambled backwards, getting limbs tangled in sheets in his frenzy. A hand that wasn't his shot out towards him, a voice said, "Wait, don't!" But his efforts to escape only became more frantic and before he knew it, he had backed up straight off the bed and his spine collided hard with the floor.

He was instantly on his feet, wrapped up in sheets still and panting, wide eyes shifting around crazily, taking in a room he did not recognize in the slightest. Early morning sunlight streamed in through the windows. His gaze eventually fell onto the bed and its inhabitant: Elsa. An Elsa who looked bewildered, but also very concerned as she rose to her knees on the mattress to face him. An Elsa who was very real and not a dream.

"The _hell?_ " he asked. "Where-? What-? How-?" He looked down at himself. "...where's my shirt?!"

"Calm down," she gently urged, waving her hands in an attempt to sooth him. Apparently, she had already managed to get over her initial shock. Good on her, but he was still confused as fuck. "You were really drunk last night."

"No shit. Where am I?!"

"In my apartment. I brought you here."

He blinked. "...you roofied me?"

"What? No! You didn't look like you could make it home on your own last night and I wanted to help you. But you were too drunk to remember directions to your place, so I figured you could sleep it off here." She crossed her arms and looked down, muttering, "Specifically, in the _guest_ room."

Guest room? If this was the guest room, why was Elsa sleeping in here? As he looked around the room a second time, a slow realization dawned on him. This _wasn't_ the guest room.

Oh no… last night, he hadn't...

He had. His stupid drunk ass had stumbled its way out of the guest room and into Elsa's bedroom. What the fuck had he been thinking?

Probably something along the lines of, _I'm really friggin' drunk, hur, hur..._

No, more importantly, what was Elsa thinking right now? That he was a sleazy perv, most likely. He looked at her again. At her frazzled hair and flushed face. At her left tank top strap, still hanging off her shoulder. At the mark his teeth had left on that shoulder. He panicked.

"Woah! This isn't- I wasn't- I didn't mean to-" That's right, dude. Babble like an idiot, that'll smooth this situation right over. "That is to say- I was really- I didn't plan-" Oh yeah. This was going swimmingly. He could tell he was really winning her over, what with the blank stare she was giving him. "...ah… " Come on, think! This was still salvageable, so salvage it already! "...pelicans."

...what the fuck even, man?

Shut up. Just shut up. It was time to cut his losses and run. He turned to make a dash for the door only to trip over the sheets he was still tangled in and crash into the floor again. He heard her gasp and ask, "Are you okay?"

Not answering, he wriggled out of fiendish folds of cloth, staggered to his feet once more and opened the door. He turned the corner and almost ran into some auburn-haired chick, who yelped in surprise on seeing him. He grit his teeth and skidded to a stop in front of her. Expressionless, she eyed him up and down before her gaze darted from him to Elsa's room and then back to him, the movement so rapid he almost missed it. She said nothing.

He edged his way around her and ran down the hall, not having the slightest clue where he was going. Luckily, the hall ended in what appeared to be a living room. Better yet, said room had the front door! He attempted to open it, failed, wrestled with the lock for a moment before hearing it click, then yanked it open. He bolted outside and ran as fast as his long legs would carry him down the sidewalk. He was shirtless and barefoot, and he remained thusly all the way back to his home.

Back at the apartment he had just flown out of like a bat from hell, Anna wandered into Elsa's room in a daze. Her mouth hung open in stunned awe. She craned her neck back to look down the hall the redhead had fled through, then her eyes returned to her sister. Her hands raised as if in slow motion and then she brought them together in a single, solitary clap. A pause. Then she clapped a second time. Then she was full out applauding. Her mouth still hung agape, but the corners of her lips had quirked upward.

" _Dayumn!_ Get it, get it, girl!"

Elsa groaned and buried her face into her hands.

* * *

_**Author's Note:** Eeeek, so what'd you think? I'm super nervous about this chapter, I hope it was okay! I don't actually write a lot of stuff like this, and when I do, I always hate how it turns out and think it's stupid. Don't get me wrong, I love fluff and romance and passion... when other people write it. But when I write it? If feel so awkward and lame. So since this whole story is basically going to be fluff personified, it's gonna be a struggle, but no worries, I'll deal xD_

_Oh, and Axel's narrator finally awakens and arises from the depths! More of its foul mouthed antics to come, my lovely readers!_

_Fun fact - the last half of this chapter was actually the first thing I wrote for this story. Does it show? I actually wrote the first 4 chapters all out of order because I was excited about so many different things, all out of order, haha._

_Thank you for reading! Be back next week for a new chapter!_


	4. T-Minus 13 Hours

"Jeez, Sis, I told you to bring home a guy's _phone number_ , not the whole _guy_!" Anna practically crowed from the passenger seat of Elsa's car. It was a little under an hour later that same morning and Elsa was driving them to campus. "Not that I object or anything, I just can't get over it. Who knew you had it in you?"

Elsa sighed as she brought the car to a stop at a red light. "But I _don't_ have it in me."

"But you _did_ last night... you know, have _it_ in you. Am I right?" She held up a fist.

She looked unamused. "...I'm not going to fistbump you over that."

"Pft. You know what? I don't even care that you just left me hanging right now, because my big sister finally _got some_ last night. And with a total fox! Did you see those abs? And that tattoo? Holy moly, be still my frenzied libido. I mean, I figured you were a late bloomer, but man oh man, once you bloomed... WOW!"

The stoplight turned green. Pressing down on the gas pedal, Elsa sighed again, "Anna..."

"I'm sorry, I just did not see this coming! It was so out of left field! I mean, sure, I all but dared you to last night, but I didn't actually think you would _do_ anything. You seriously don't mess around when it comes to stuff like this! You must have really wanted to make me eat my words. Well, consider them thoroughly chewed up, swallowed, and digested."

"But Anna, we didn't _do_ anything."

Well... anything except kissing, nibbling, and... what else... oh yes, biting. There was definitely a bite in there. But that was besides the point.

She snorted. "Honey, please. Don't try to bullshit a bullshiter. Putting aside the fact that he left your room in nothing but his pants, did you even see yourself this morning?" She placed a hand on her chest and fluttered her eyelashes. "My dear, sweet sister, you were completely disheveled."

Rolling her eyes, she responded, "Look, he was just really drunk last night and needed a place to crash. End of story."

"That's why we have a guest room."

"He _was_ in the guest room."

Her head cocked to one side. "So then, how'd he end up in your bedroom?"

Good question.

"...I really don't know. An accident, maybe? Some sort of... misunderstanding?"

"...right," Anna grinned, dragging out the single syllabled word. "Look, if you wanna keep this to yourself, that's cool, but your cover stories need some major work."

She frowned as she flicked on her right blinker and started to turn into the university parking lot. "It's not a cover story, it's the truth."

"Tell that to the hottie's shoes and shirt that you have in that bag there," she jerked her thumb over her shoulder, indicating the sack sitting in the back seat.

"What, I'm just returning those to him since he left them behind. You know, in the guest room, where he slept last night," she insisted as she pulled her car into a parking space and shut down her engine.

Anna shook her head with a smirk. "Okay, let's just pretend for one second I believe the little tale your spinning here. So, explain something to me then. Why are you picking up random, drunk, hot men from bars and bringing them back to our place to sleep in the guest room?"

"It wasn't random."

"Oh, so you plotted the abduction of this guy in advance? That makes me feel better."

She narrowed her eyes at her sister. "No, I meant that I knew him already."

"...in the biblical sense?" she waggled her eyebrows.

"No! We've met before. We have a class together. We don't really talk to each other or anything, but he seems... I don't know... like he's an alright person. So when I was was leaving the bar last night and found him too drunk to stand, I didn't want to just leave him there. So I brought him back and put him in the guest room. That's all."

Anna eyed her dubiously. "That's all?"

"Yes, I swear."

She was silent a few seconds before she smirked. "Not buying it." At the annoyed look Elsa shot her, Anna laughed, "Sorry, but I just don't! Every girl has needs, even you. There is no way you brought him back, he wound up in your bedroom _accidentally_ ," she used air quotes, "and everything remained PG. Simply no way. He was way too hot."

"Okay, can you please get over him and how attractive he was for just one second?"

"...okay, sure. I'll get over him." Anna's smirk turned devious as she whispered, "Once you admit that you got _under_ him."

Else pinched the bridge of her nose. "Get out."

Cackling, Anna exited the car, calling behind her as she slammed the door shut, "Love ya, sis."

"Yeah, yeah, love you too, brat," she grumbled.

* * *

"Alright. Since you're not exactly being Mr. Chatterbox right now, I'll ask. Where were you today?"

Axel hadn't gone to class that day.

The sun was beginning to set on the horizon. When Roxas voiced his question, the redhead - now fully attired, shirt, shoes, and all - didn't look at him. Instead he continued to stare out the car window, which was currently rolled down as they sped along. He took a hit from his cigarette before relaxing the hand that held it out the window so as not to fill the car up with smoke.

"Stayed home. Had a hangover."

Turning the car at a stop sign, Roxas frowned. "But... you don't get hangovers."

"I do now. Guess I'm turning into a crotchety old man. Can't party like you young'uns anymore," he said, hoping his friend would drop it. It was a hangover, end of story. People got hangovers from time to time, what was the big deal? In fact, _men_ got hangovers, and Axel was a man. A man who had had a manly hangover like a man.

As he put the cigarette to his lips again, he heard Roxas ask, "Were you avoiding a girl?"

He practically swallowed the cigarette in his surprise. Hacking and wheezing as he shoved the butt back out the window, he turned a wide eyed stare to his friend. How the hell did he-?

"I knew it," Roxas smirked. "You and Arlene had a fight, didn't you?"

Oh. Oh, _right_. He meant Arlene. Of course he meant Arlene. There was no way he'd meant Elsa. Roxas didn't even know who Elsa was, Axel had never told him anything about her.

Not that he was avoiding Elsa. It wasn't like he was embarrassed about what had happened, or was terrified that she'd murder him or castrate him the next time she saw him. He most certainly was not hiding. Nope. No siree bob. As previously mentioned, he was a man, and he had had a hangover like a man.

...aw, screw it. He was scared shitless and was hiding. But he was hiding like a man, damn it!

To Roxas, he just replied, "Maybe."

"Is that why you're rocking that half-raccoon look?" he asked, referring to his black eye. Which was coming along beautifully, by the way.

"What can I say? She has a hell of a right hook."

"What'd you do? Wait, let me guess." He twisted his jaw in thought. "You said another girl's name while boinking her."

"Please, Rox. I have some class." He tapped some ash outside the car. "And _boinking?_ Seriously?"

He shrugged as he switched lanes. "Well, you had to have done something comparatively boneheaded for her to kick your sorry ass out shirtless and barefoot."

"Who says I was kicked out? Maybe I just decided a body this perfect should be displayed for all the world to see. Or maybe I felt like challenging authority."

"Oh really?" He looked dubious. "And how exactly did you accomplish that by taking your top off?"

"By walking into all those stores with those stupid little signs to see if no shirt, no shoes really means no service."

He snorted. "You rebel, you."

"Damn the man." His fist pumped into the air.

"For real, man, did you skip class just in case Arlene showed up looking for you or something?"

He took another drag on his cigarette, inhaling deeply before releasing the smoke slowly. "Or something."

"Okay..." he muttered, sounding disappointed by his answer. Or rather, lack thereof. "What about your bike?"

Axel kept his eyes trained on the road. "What about it?"

"Why'd you leave it at Mickey's last night?"

"Couldn't ride. Was too wasted."

Roxas side eyed him. "But you'd never abandon it in a place like that all night. You love that thing more than life itself."

Scratching his temple, Axel said, "I wouldn't go that far. Besides, I'm not sure you can truly appreciate just how drunk I was. With the amount of alcohol that was in me, could of slapped one of those highly flammable warning stickers on my forehead."

"Come on already. Why won't you just tell me what happened last night?"

"What can I say?" he asked, inspecting his cigarette. "I'm a man of many mysteries."

"But why are you-"

"Oi," he interrupted him, flicking him in the ear. "What is this, twenty questions? Stop being so nosy. Learn to mind your own beeswax."

Rubbing his sore ear, Roxas grumbled, "Fine. Hmph. Someone's cranky."

"Told you already, I'm a grouchy old man now. You damn kids need to get off my lawn."

He grinned as he pulled the car over to a curb. "Whatever, Gramps."

"Don't call me that. You whippersnapper." Axel got out of the car and closed the door shut behind him before hunching forward to look through the open window. "Thanks for the ride."

"Sure thing. See you back at the Thirteen."

"Yup," he responded, rapping his knuckles against the roof of the car as he straightened up.

Roxas drove off and Axel turned to face Mickey's bar. Sticking his cigarette between his teeth and shoving his hands in his pocket, he walked around to the parking lot. Much to his relief, his motorcycle was still there, right where he had left it. The plan was to ride it home, but for now he simply walked towards it and crossed his arms as he propped himself against a nearby wall. He needed some time to finish his smoke and to consider his options moving forward.

Skipping out today was all well and good, but what about his next class session? Or the one after that? It's not like he could avoid Elsa forever.

...or could he?

Let's see here. Okay, it was too late in the semester to drop the class, so that idea was a no go. Maybe he could pay some freshman to go, pretend to be him, take notes and do his tests for him?

Nah, he didn't have that kind of munny.

Perhaps he could wear a disguise so she wouldn't recognize him? Put on an ugly hat, slip on some shades, and rock a sweet handlebar mustache.

Nope. Too ridiculous.

Or maybe he could just disappear. Go on the lam. Become a hermit that lived in the Alps whose best friend was a marmot named Molly.

...maybe that one was a bit of a stretch.

Alright, he was way over thinking this. Was he just making a mountain out of a molehill? Yeah, he probably was. He should just grow a pair and talk to her. What was the worst that could happen? They were both adults. She would probably appreciate him being mature enough to apologize and take the time to discuss this with her. She-

She was currently getting out of a car that had parked in the space right next to his motorcycle.

Her eyes fell on him and she blinked, her surprise evident. Apparently she had not spotted him until right that second. "Axel?"

Crap, what the hell was she doing here?

He was suddenly alerted to the fact that there was a distinct lack of cigarette in his mouth or between his fingers. Hadn't he just had one just a second ago? Eyes shifting around wildly, he spotted it on the ground. He must have dropped it in his shock at seeing her again. He stamped it out with his shoe.

Yeah, so, all that stuff about being an adult and mature and what not? Total. Bullshit.

The motorcycle could tough it out another night. It would take too long to get it started. He turned to make a run for it.

"Hey, wait! I want to talk to you!"

Sorry, Sweetcheeks. Gotta boogie.

He managed to take one whole step. "I said wait!" She grabbed him by the back of his shirt, causing its collar to pull back and dig into his throat, choking him.

"Gak."

My my, he certainly had a way with words, didn't he?

She released him and he stayed put. He rubbed his abused neck, gaze darting about, looking everywhere but directly at her. He noted she was carrying a bag in one hand before his eyes finally settled on studying the ground.

So, his original exit strategy was a bust. On to Plan B. What was plan B, one might ask? He was still working on that one.

"Honestly," she began, "I don't know why _you're_ the one freaking out and _I'm_ the one who has to chase you down, when _you_ were the one who snuck into _my_ bed and... and..." Her face scrunched up, apparently too embarrassed to continue. "... did what you did," she finished lamely.

He didn't say anything, just continued to stare at his shoes. They were rather fascinating really. Was that a new speck of dried mud on the right toe? He scrutinized it. Yup, indeed it was. He was thinking of naming it Joe. Joe the Mud Speck.

"I looked for you in class today, but you weren't there," she went on.

Alright, Joe, how's this for a Plan B: Maybe if he held perfectly still, she wouldn't be be able to see him anymore. He'd just blend into his surroundings and vanish. Like a chameleon.

Yah, that sounded plausible.

"Then I remembered you left your bike here overnight."

Don't do anything, don't even breath. Hold perfectly still. No sudden movements...

"So I came by hoping I'd run into you."

Be like the chameleon. Be one with the chameleon. _Be_ the chameleon.

"...hello? Anyone in there?" She waved a hand in front of his face.

Oh yeah. Plan B was working. Like a charm.

She waited a few more seconds, then released a heavy sigh and shoved the bag she was carrying into his chest. "Here. You left these in the guest room." She then turned to go, walking back towards her car. He looked inside to find his shirt and shoes from last night.

...last night...

"I'm not a pervert," he suddenly blurted out to her retreating form.

She halted in her tracks and turned back to look at him, quirking an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

He cleared his throat and scratched the back of his head with his free hand. "I'm not a pervert," he repeated. Well, maybe he was, but really, come on... weren't all guys? But he wasn't the kind of pervert to crawl into the bed of some girl he didn't really know and try to take advantage of her while she was sleeping. Well... to be fair, that's exactly what he had done. But not on purpose, not  _knowingly_.

She was standing there, waiting for him to continue.

Right. You can't just leave a statement like that hanging without an explanation. "Parts of last night have been coming back to me and I've been slowly piecing them together. It's still mostly a hazy blur, but I think what happened was I got up in the middle of the night to use your bathroom. I was still drunk and didn't know my way around your place and it was really dark, so I got lost and wound up in your room instead of back in the guest room and fell asleep in your bed. I don't think I even realized you were there."

She mulled over his words for a few seconds. Finally, she said, "I could see that... I guess..."

See? Not a pervert. Just a dumbass.

"...and this morning...?" she pressed.

Oh, right. That. "That was... an accident. I thought I was dreaming." Plus, she had smelled really, _really_ good. Probably best to keep that part to himself. Tact. He had it in spades. He struggled for a second before adding, "Sorry." Another pause, then a muttered, "To be fair, I wasn't exactly hearing any complaints."

She glanced sideways. "Well... I was half asleep myself. I didn't really know what was happening, I just knew it felt... er..." She coughed into her hand. "...nice."

He smirked. "You liked that, did you?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. Heh... sense the tone, dude. "To be fair," she threw back at him, "there was at _least_ one complaint."

He winced. "Sorry about, ah... biting you. Just got caught up in the moment, ya know? I didn't mean to hurt you."

Her expression softened and she looked down. "Well," she mumbled awkwardly, "you actually didn't hurt me, I just... I wasn't expecting it. But it..." Her face slightly heated as she clasped a hand to her shoulder where the deed had been done. "...it wasn't unpleasant..."

Axel stared at her. She was so shy, so sweet, so innocent...

He just wanted to shove her up against a wall and corrupt the fuck out of her.

His fingers twitched. He crossed his arms, shoving his hands into his armpits. It was the only way he could make sure they wouldn't misbehave. Looking away with a scowl, he said, "Okay, can you not?"

She looked up at him in confusion. "Not what?"

Now with the giant doe eyes? For fuck's sake. "Do _that_." Jesus, it was like she wanted him to drag her off into a broom closet somewhere and do all sorts of unmentionable things to her.

Both eyebrows shot up her forehead. "Do what? I'm just... being honest?"

"No, that's not... ugh, just forget about it," he said with a frustrated sigh. She had no idea the effect she was having on him. He knew it wasn't her fault however, and he needed to get a grip. "What were you saying? You were being honest? Honest about what?"

Her cheeks darkened further. "Honest about... the bite." She rubbed her arm with the opposite hand. "It's just that I've... never been bitten before."

"...seriously?" She was joking, right? The look on her face said she wasn't. "Okay, no offence, but your past boyfriends were total prudes." She winced and looked away. "...what?"

"I, um... gah, I can't believe I'm telling you this. I've... never had one. A boyfriend, that is."

Okay. _Now_ she was yanking his chain. She just had to be. There was no way, just no freaking way that someone like her had gone her whole life without a boyfriend. He waited for the punchline. It never came. "Really? Never? You've _never_ had a boyfriend?"

She hesitated, then gave a small nod, still averting her gaze.

"...you want one?"

Now her eyes shot up to meet his. "What?"

Yeah, I'm with her. _What?_

Did you just volunteer as tribute?

"...because I..." _Shit_ , come up with something. Fast. "...know a guy that would be perfect." Alright, mouth, where were you going with this? "He's a friend of mine, his name is Marly." What?! Did you seriously just suggest _Marly?!_ Ew, no! "He's got pink hair. Yeah, he's real secure in his masculinity." Stop it. Stop talking. Right now. "He'd treat you real nice. Give you flowers and shit." No, fuck Marly. Marly was a total tool. Marly could go screw himself.

"Um... thanks?" She furrowed her brow. "But I think I'll pass."

Thank _God_.

He shrugged. "Your loss." No, it really wasn't.

Elsa stared at him a moment. Then she seemed to visibly wrestle with whatever she wanted to say next. Her face clearly showed her going back and forth on something in her mind, and it was actually rather interesting to watch. At one point, she seemed to decide she was done with this utterly absurd conversation and just turned to walk away. But then she stopped after a few steps, spun around and came marching back.

"Do you have a crush on me?" she demanded.

He just about choked. On what? Good question. Apparently air had become a choking hazard in the past two seconds.

"What?! No!" he coughed out. Where had _that_ come from? Was she a frigging mind reader now? "What? No!" Okay, you didn't need to repeat yourself, man, she heard you the first time. "...what? ...no!" Oh good. Because that's what this response needed, one more 'what' and most certainly another 'no.' What was it about this girl that turned into a lobotomized penguin? "Where would you get an idea like that?" Besides the fact that he had, ya know, tried to take her in a manly fashion just this morning? What was a few neck noms between friends?

Or, rather, complete strangers. Same difference.

She crossed her arms. "From you. You told me while you were drunk last night."

Fuck. He rubbed the nape of his neck. "...strange... that doesn't sound like something I would do..." Except it totally did. Damn drunk Axel, he was such a blabbermouth. "Must have just been the booze talking."

"Oh..." was all she said at first, followed by, "...okay." Wait a second, hold the phone here. "I thought it might be something like that." Was that a hint of disappointment he was detecting? "Well then, I guess... that's all and I'll just be going now... bye." Once again, she turned to leave.

"It might have been me talking." The words tumbled out before he could stop them. Damn you, you traitorous mouth.

She looked at him, blinking a couple times. "What?"

He cleared his throat. Alright, damage control. Too late to back out now, might as well roll with it. "Last night, it wasn't just the booze. I... may have had some input."

Her head tilted slightly as she furrowed her brow. "So, you're saying that you... do have a thing for me?"

Okay, if you were going for it, you better _go_ for it. Make her swoon, lover boy. "I'm saying that... maybe you and I should... get a drink sometime." Wow, really? You're a regular ladies' man and that's the best you could come up with? Seriously, this chick just had him all sorts of out of whack.

But that was okay, especially since she was smiling now. And what a smile. Holy cow! Was that really just for him?

It abruptly faded into a frown however. Hey, wait, where'd you go, little smile? Come back.

"I can't," she stated.

Dang. Way to get a guy's hopes up right before squashing them like a banana slug under an eighteen-wheel semi. Was she the type of girl to get some sort of sadistic pleasure out of that kind of thing? That'd be evil.

And also kind of hot.

"Oh. Okay. That's cool. I get it." Though he didn't really. He was actually kind of confused with the mixed signals here. But hey, whatever. It was her choice. He'd bow out gracefully.

"It's not that I don't want to," she said hastily. "It's just that my schedule is really crazy this semester and I just don't really have any time for... anything like that." She looked down, wringing her hands together. "Plus, I don't even really know you, so this whole thing would kind of make me uncomfortable."

"...what if we got to know each other first?" Problem solving in action!

She quirked an eyebrow up at him. "What, you mean like become friends?"

...with benefits?

No, bad Axel! Get your mind out of the gutter already! "Yeah."

She took a few seconds to consider it. "Maybe... we do have that class together, so I guess we could hang out during that..."

"Exactly! And when does your schedule free up?"

Elsa pursed her lips. "I guess that'd be after final exams, which are at the end of next month. And tomorrow is the 1st, so... in thirty-one days?" she said with a shrug.

"Alright. Over four weeks to get to know each other. Plenty of time to figure out if we're a good fit or if we just clash so much that we simply want to murder each other with rusty spoons by the end of it. Sound good?"

She took another moment to ponder it before one corner of her mouth twitched upward. "Yeah, okay. That works."

"Okay, sweet. We got a plan. So then, in exactly thirty-one days," he checked his watch, "at 7:49pm on the dot, we'll get that drink?"

And then maybe fuck like bunnies afterwards?

Wait, he didn't say that last part out loud, did he? Mental replay... okay, no, he didn't. Good.

What the hell was wrong with him? Sure, he had his playboy reputation to uphold, so being a walking hormone kind of came with the territory. But this was a bit much, even for him. Since when had he become such a horndog?

Oh, that's right. When he had discovered Elsa tasted freaking phenomenal.

Woah, reign it in there, cowboy.

A small smile crept onto her lips. "...we'll see."

* * *

_**Author's Note:** Annnnnd thus it is all coming together now. Where the title 31 Days comes from, the countdown chapter names, leading up to this very moment! Yay! And I may have tricked you into thinking I was exaggerating, that this story actually did have a plot, but really this has all just been setup just to get to this very point. You'll quickly discover from the next chapter onward that I was not joking. There is no plot. None. What. So. Ever. Let the complete lack of any real substance commence!_

_Fun fact - everything from Joe the Mud Speck onward was the second bit I wrote for this story, long before chapters 1 and 2 ever came into existence. Everything else in this chapter before it? Did not get written for AGES. Told you, I bounced all over the place while getting this story all jotted down xD_

_Special thanks to anyone who left comments and kudos! Thank you all for reading, hoped you liked it, please leave feedback and let me know what you think! See ya'll next week!_


	5. Day 1

"So, you two are just going to be... friends?"

"Yup."

Roxas furrowed his brow. "For a month."

"Uh huh," Axel nodded. It was the following morning and the two of them were walking to class together.

The blonde looked dubious. "No hanky panky?"

He stumbled over his own feet. "Okay, wow. You seriously need a new vocabulary, kiddo. And to get laid."

"Shut up," he punched him in the arm. "All I'm saying is that you can't do it. You can't be buddies with a chick and keep it platonic."

"What, you think a guy and a girl can't be friends? Come on, dude. It's the twenty-first century. Crawl out of your cave already, you neanderthal."

Roxas smirked. "Oh, I know a guy and a girl can be just friends. I'm saying _you_ specifically can't be friends with a girl. You don't know how."

He scoffed. "You make me sound like some sort of animal and like I have no willpower."

"You are and you don't."

"Ouch. That's cold, man. You don't hold back any punches, do you?"

With a shrug, he replied, "I'm just telling it like it is. You're gonna screw this up, it's only a matter of time."

He huffed with a slight raise of his chin. "Just sit back and watch. I'm gonna be a perfect gentleman with her. You'll see."

Roxas raised an eyebrow at him. "...you really like this girl, don't you?"

"Nope. Hate her. Can't stand the sight of her. She has cooties and smells bad," he deadpanned.

He snorted. "Gee, if that's how you sweet talked her, no wonder she turned you down."

"She didn't turn me down, she just rain checked me. And I fully intend to cash it in," Axel jabbed Roxas in the collarbone to emphasize his last few words.

As they came up to the door that led into their lecture hall, Roxas rolled his eyes and held open the door. "Good luck with that, Romeo."

"Oh, ye of little faith."

They went inside. It was only a few minutes before class started, so a lot of seats were already filled and the professor was setting up the lesson she had prepared. A quick glance around the room made it easy to spot Elsa seated in the front row, fiddling with her phone.

Roxas followed Axel's gaze to where she sat and asked, "That's her?" At the redhead's nod, he said, "She's the one you helped the other day. That whole thing makes more sense now."

He frowned. "What's that supposed to mean? What makes more sense?"

"You pretending to be a total badass in class that day."

Giving his friend a shove, he said, "Hey, I wasn't pretending, I _am_ a badass, thank you very much."

"Yeah, right. You're all bark, no bite. I bet you were pissing yourself the whole time you were grounding that bully's head into his desk, silently praying he wouldn't realize he could pummel you with his pinky."

"Was not." He totally was. Shhh, our little secret.

The shorter boy looked at her again. "She's cute."

He scratched the back of his head, muttering nonchalantly, "...is she? I hadn't noticed." Back off, Rox, unless you want to get cut. "Anyway, I'm going to go sit with her."

"Alright, just remember," he pointed down at Axel's shoes, "foot." He then pointed at Axel's face. "Mouth. Try not to put one in the other, okay?"

"Don't think I won't hit you."

Chuckling, Roxas held up his fist and Axel bumped his knuckles against it. The two then parted ways, one taking up the usual spot in the back while the other moved towards the head of the classroom where Elsa sat.

Christ, he was going to go through all this for a front-row-of-the-class kind of girl. He really had it bad for this one, didn't he?

At least it wasn't going to be like yesterday. Nope, no babbling like a special needs monkey today. He was calm. He was collected. He had his cool and was in control of the situation. He had this.

He came to a stop behind her chair, eyeing the back of her head. His gaze traveled down the length of her soft, pale platinum hair, woven tightly into a neat braid. He suddenly had an inclination. A wicked little inkling. His hand twitched.

Uh oh.

He turned away, looking for Roxas. His friend frowned as he met his eye from across the room. He looked from Axel to Elsa, then back again. Then it clicked and he rapidly starting shaking his head, mouthing the word 'no.'

He faced the braid once more. He shouldn't. He knew he shouldn't. He really, _really_ shouldn't...

But he must!

He gave her braid a yank.

Bloody hell, what was he, a fucking preschooler with a crush?

...yeah, pretty much.

The resounding smack of Roxas's hand hitting his own forehead could be heard throughout the room.

"Youch!" Elsa hissed, hand going to the back of her head as she glanced over her shoulder at him. He grinned sheepishly. Sorry not sorry. He then braced his palm on the back of the empty chair next to her, vaulted over it and slipped down into the seat. She narrowed her eyes at him. "What was that for?"

He shrugged. "Couldn't help it. It beckoned to me. Like a siren's call, and I nothing more than a shipwrecked sailor powerless to its whim. I'm the victim here, really."

Her eyebrow quirked and one corner of her mouth curled up slightly. "You think you're cute, don't you?"

He smirked. "I'm fucking adorable."

She snorted. "Well, let's see how you like it."

His scalp tingled as her fingers abruptly dug into it and gave a sharp tug. The sensation both heated his skin and sent chills down his spine. His eyes widened and every muscle in his body tensed. He sat stock still and didn't move for several seconds.

When his body was finally able to relax again, he shot her a glance out of the corner of his eyes. He cleared his throat, then flashed a cheshire grin. "Liked it quite a bit, actually."

She blinked, then averted her gaze, a hint of red creeping into her cheeks. "Oh," was all she managed to say.

That's right. You best tread carefully, little one, tis a dangerous game you play.

He wasn't ready to let her off the hook just yet. He could still have a little fun with this. Propping his chin on his hand as he leaned in towards her, eyes hooded and little smirk still in place, he asked softly, "Remind me how many days do we have left to go?"

Her blush deepened and she awkwardly brushed her bangs behind her ear.

Too. Fucking. Cute.

"Thirty days," she muttered, still not looking at him. "Not including today."

...oh yeah. Dang. What had started off as playfully teasing her had just turned into a depressing reminder.

Oh well. Tough it out, soldier on, stiff upper lip, and all that crap.

The teacher began her lecture at that point. Elsa immediately focused, already jotting down notes as the professor spoke and clicked to the first powerpoint slide. Axel, on the other hand, was already zoning out everything the instructor was saying. He yawned. Then he glanced at Elsa again and whispered, "Can I-"

She silenced him with a shush, then went back to paying attention to the lesson. He frowned.

So she was a no-talking-during-class kind of gal too, huh? Great. Just dandy.

Class was dismissed ninety minutes later. As Elsa packed her things into her bag, Axel pursed his lips and rubbed the nape of his neck. "So, how are we supposed to nurture our blossoming friendship here if we can't talk during class?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Nurture our blossoming friendship?" she questioned flatly. He just shrugged. Shaking her head, she considered his words for a few seconds. Then she asked, "Do you study?"

"Not if I can help it."

She gawked at him. "In _this_ class? How do you manage to pull that off?"

"Easy. Pass/Fail is a slacker's best friend."

She sighed, then gave him a wry smile as she stood up. "Your ambition is staggering. Alright, well, if you'd ever be so inclined to crack open a book and study, then I may be so inclined to join you."

He rose to his feet as well, rubbing his chin with a half-grin. "Let's say your proposition intrigues me. Where and when?"

"The university library. Starting today at 5pm, after my last class."

"Works for me," he nodded.

As he was stared down at her and into those big baby blues, he was struck with another inkling… one that was a shade darker. His grin twitched on the side of rakish and he took a step towards her. He might have been standing a fraction of a centimeter closer than was socially acceptable for "just friends." When he spoke, there may have been a hint of a caress in his voice as he murmured, "Looking forward to it." As he gently tucked a few strands of her hair behind her ear, his fingers may have lingered for a second longer than they should have on her cheek.

Her face flushed crimson. She quickly turned away, stammering, "I-I should be getting to my next class now. S-see you later."

He watched her go, looking very pleased with himself.

He said he would be a gentleman. Didn't mean he had to be a saint.

* * *

What was she doing? Would somebody please tell her? Because she certainly didn't have the slightest clue anymore.

It had all started so innocently. All Elsa had done was stub her toe against a rock. Only the rock had turned out to be a drunk boy and stubbing her toe had turned into bringing said boy to her home to stay the night. That had then turned into a late night confession from a secret admirer, which had somehow become necking in the wee hours of the morning, eventually leading to "let's just be friends," which was now developing into study sessions, and in thirty days would then be… what?

What was even the point of this whole little charade? What did she hope to gain by the end of it? She knew very well his reputation and he wasn't exactly the going steady type. Not that she was even sure that was what she was looking for...

Could it be that she was... testing him? Seeing if he'd stick it out the whole month, or if he'd get bored, lose interest, and move on to easier conquests? And what if he was still around by the end of it? What then?

What was she even thinking? She couldn't deal with people. She just couldn't. It was a social skill she had never quite been able to get the knack of. She normally closed herself off from the world and any attempts from a stranger to get to know her better. The few times she had been brave enough to lower her defenses and try had all ended disastrously. So this was exactly the kind of situation she tried to stay approximately ten thousand leagues away from. And yet, instead, she found herself smack dab in the middle of it, and it was all of her own making, no less.

Why had she decided to stop and talk to Axel that night when she could have, and normally would have, kept walking? Why had she asked him the next day if he had feelings for her when she could have just given him stuff back and left it at that? And why, oh why, had she suggested this damn study session, which she suspected was probably only the first of many?

What the hell was she even doing anymore? It was like her mouth had developed a mind of its own and taken over, the rest of her just being dragged along for the ride.

It was a little after five o'clock now and Elsa sat at a table in the library. Axel had not shown up yet. Her textbook lay open before her. She had been staring at the pages for several minutes now, but had not actually managed to read a single word. She didn't even really know if it was opened to the correct chapter. She anxiously twisted her braid with her hands.

She could put a stop to it. Right here, right now. She didn't have any sort of obligation to… whatever this whole thing was. It wasn't like she had signed a contract or anything. She could just say thanks, but no thanks. Sayonara. Ciao. Arrivederci. Call it quits, never have to see him again, and then let her life get back to normal.

Except… some very small, yet quite stubborn part of her didn't want to.

As much as she was stressing out over it, as much as she wanted to flee to her home, secure the front door with about fifty different kinds of locks and hide under her bed… the obstinate part of her made her stay put and stand firm. That part of her was inquisitive. That part of her was curious to see where all of this was going. That part of her was drawn to Axel and found him… interesting?

Seriously, what was the matter with her? The guy had assaulted another student and threatened to burn his sideburns off, and she found him _interesting_?

She groaned and slumped forward, planting her face in the pages of the open book.

She needed to get her head examined or something.

Don't get her wrong, interesting wasn't the only word she would use to describe Axel. There was also deranged, childish, cocky, intimidating… _definitely_ intimidating. Though, to be fair, it wasn't Axel himself that she found intimidating, but rather the effect he had on her. Normally, she wasn't one to blush easily. It just wasn't her. And yet, practically every little thing he said or did had her cheeks lighting up like a freaking neon sign. And there was something in the way he looked at her… something in those eyes of his that she didn't quite understand. She found it terrifying. Terrifying, and yet… not… unwelcome?

The worst part was that she was pretty sure he knew the effect it had on her too. That charming, evil, arrogant bastard.

Aggravated and confused, she released a frustrated sigh and pressed her face harder into the book.

"I don't think you're doing it right."

Startled, her head snapped up at the sound of that familiar voice. Axel hovered over her, leaning to one side, propped up with one hand upon the table. He wore a little smirk. A charming, evil, arrogant little smirk.

Brutally shoving her misgivings to the back of her mind, she harrumphed and looked back down at her textbook. "How would you know, Mr. I-Don't-Study?"

He chuckled as he plopped down into a chair beside her. "I may not know much about studying, but I know what it looks like, and it doesn't look like that."

"Well, it's something new I've been trying… learning by osmosis."

Oh good. Frazzled nerves or no, at least she still had enough wit about her to make lame, unoriginal jokes.

His head tipped to the left, his eyes crinkling. "Oh yeah? How's that working out for you?"

"I'll let the fact that I aced all my midterms speak for itself."

"Wow, neato. Well, speaking as a poor schmuck who can't simply absorb knowledge straight off the pages through my skin and into my brain, how do I get started on this whole studying thing?"

"Probably should begin by getting your textbook out," she said, lifting up her own.

"Okie dokie." He opened his bag, retrieved a book and tossed it on the table in front of him.

She looked at it, then back up at him. "Very good. Now how about you get out the textbook that's actually for this class?"

"Roger." Putting the first book away, he once again dug around in his satchel for a few seconds before pulling out a another one.

She stared at it a second then sighed. "How are we over half way through the semester and you haven't even taken the shrink wrap off it?"

"Oh snap, that shit comes off?"

She hid a smile behind her hand. "Don't be a smartass."

"But I don't know how to be otherwise."

The plastic cover was removed and studying officially commenced shortly after. Elsa slowly began to relax. Studying was her comfort zone. Studying was something she understood. It was something she mostly did on her own, though she did sometimes help Anna with her studies, so this wasn't entirely uncharted territory for her. She just pretended in her mind that Axel was her little sister, which was a rather amusing idea.

She wondered how Axel would feel about that if he knew.

"Can I ask you a question?" he piped up a few minutes later.

She looked up from her book. "Sure. Does something not make sense?"

"Huh? Oh no, it's not about this stuff," he gestured a dismissive hand towards the class materials on the table. "No, I meant can I ask you a question about yourself?"

Blinking, she hesitated before nodding. "...okay. I mean, I guess asking questions it usually a part of the whole 'getting to know you' thing we're trying to do here. So sure. Go for it."

"Have you really never had a boyfriend?"

Her eye twitched. _This_ again? Seriously? "Like I said yesterday, no, I've never had a boyfriend. Okay?" He stared at her, head tilted to one side, and she rolled her eyes. "Jeez, what's the big deal?"

He frowned, shaking his head. "Sorry, it's just that… I don't understand how something like that happens."

"Having a busy schedule, staying on top of grades, and constantly trying to keep a rowdy sister on the straight and narrow. That's how."

"Got it."

She glared back down at her textbook. Conversation closed. After a few seconds of staring at the page, she highlighted a sentence. She wasn't even really paying attention and didn't know what that sentence said. Hopefully something important. Elsa glanced up again and saw that he was still looking at her. It was obvious he wanted to ask something else. She sighed. Conversation reopened. "What?"

"Was I your first kiss?"

She blanched. "Gah! Why would you ask something like that?!"

"I was just wondering. Because, ya know…" he paused, scratching the back of his head. "If I _was_ your first kiss, and if I had known, I would have done a better job of it. You know, really laid one on ya. Given you a real top notch, five-star experience."

...egads, man! That thing he had done with his lips yesterday morning _hadn't_ been the five-star experience?! That kiss, which had made her melt and turned her brain to mush and had given her goosebumps and butterflies and every other damn cliché in the book? Hell, if that was only the two or three-star treatment, she'd be terrified to find out what a five-star one would be like.

...and also… a maybe just a teeny bit curious...

Aaaaaand she was blushing again. Great. Stop it face, you're embarrassing yourself.

"I'd have made it one to remember," Axel continued. Oh god, he was elaborating. "The type of thing you'd write an ode to." Well, someone had a high opinion of himself. "It would have been-"

"Alright, already, I get it. Just please stop talking," she cut him off. She paused, furiously fidgeting with her pencil before saying, "If you must know, no, you weren't my first kiss. Just because I haven't had a boyfriend before doesn't mean I've taken a vow of priesthood or anything. I've kissed other guys. And I've dated, it's just that… I don't know, nothing ever stuck really. And even if it had, I just… I wouldn't have had time for that type of commitment anyway. I've always favored my studies over boys."

He took a moment to process her answer before nodding slowly. There was a tiny gleam in his eyes now that made her want to squirm. She resisted. "I see," was all he said.

"...what do you see?"

"What I have to do."

A crease formed between her eyebrows. "What do you have to do?"

He leaned forward, bringing his face closer to hers as he rested his chin on his knuckles and graced her with a wolfish, lopsided smirk. "Whatever it takes so that instead you'll want to favor me over your studies."

She was forgetting to do something. What was it…? Oh that's right. Breathing.

Elsa looked away with a tiny scowl, hastily saying, "Well, you can start by cutting it out with the cheesy lines."

His grin widened. "I'll take it under advisement."

* * *

_**Author's Note:** And so it starts for realsies! We see our leading roles clumsily navigate their way through their the start of... whatever this is xD *Awkwardly fidgets at the light, cheesy fluff she wrote* What'd you guys think?_

_Fun Fact - I hadn't played 358/2 Days yet when I started writing this story. I HAVE played it by now tho. And now seeing how that game's story was structured, I didn't realize how closely my chapter naming conventions (from this chapter forward) matched up with that game until it had already happened. I should have seen it coming with a game title like that, but nope. So that's a fun lil and completely unintentional parallel there._

_Thanks to everyone who left kudos and comments! Thank you all for reading, hoped you liked it, please leave feedback and let me know what you think! See ya'll next week!_


	6. Day 3

"...I don't get it."

Elsa cocked an eyebrow at her sister. "What's not to get? We're study buddies. Plain and simple."

"But… you mean like, _study buddies_ , right?" Anna used air quotes for emphasis before nudging Elsa in the side with her elbow and winking.

"I mean we go to the library. And there are books. And we learn from those books."

She narrowed her eyes at her and jut out her jaw. "You're a huge disappointment, I hope you know that," she deadpanned.

Snorting, Elsa said, "Gee, thanks, love you too, Sis."

"I mean, it's just _weird_. Here you are, with this totally gorgeous hunk of grade-A man meat all but throwing himself at you, and all you want to do is _study_ with him? I just don't get it!" She paused, then gasped and said slowly, "Unless you're a... vegetarian..."

Her brow furrowed. "Excuse me?"

"You're letting this delectable piece of _man meat_ rot, so are you a _vegetarian_?" She enunciated the word, staring pointedly at her.

She just stared blankly back at her for a second. What was Anna trying to...?

Then realization struck and she murmured a soft, "Oh." She blinked once, then her eyes widened. "Oh!" She started shaking her head rapidly. "No. No, that's not-"

"You sure? Because you know I'd love you no matter what, whether you're a… a carnivore or an herbivore or an _omnivore_ or-"

"Yeah, no. I'm definitely a… erm, carnivore…"

Okay, this metaphor was starting to get a little weird.

"Then what's the deal?" Anna asked exasperatedly. "Why are you doing this? And for… how long was it again?"

She rubbed one arm. "Just until the end of the semester. About a month."

"A _month_? That's practically an eternity!" she stated dramatically.

A sigh escaped through her nose. "You know this kind of stuff doesn't come easy to me. I'm just doing what makes me feel comfortable. Besides, you know how busy I am."

"Yeah, busy during the day. But your nights are wide open."

"Um, nights are when I sleep."

She waved a dismissive hand. "Bah. You can sleep when you're dead. That's precious time when you and that redheaded adonis could be rattling the ol' headboard."

"Anna!" she berated.

Her sister just smirked and shrugged. The two girls were done with their classes for the day and Elsa was on her way to the library for another study session with Axel. Anna had decided to walk her there, as she had seen very little of her over the past few days and was apparently simply dying to know all the juicy details of this whole Axel thing.

As the university library came into view, they spotted Axel. He had stretched himself out along the stairs leading up to the building, having a cigarette while he waited for Elsa to show up. He looked very relaxed blowing smoke up into the air as he lounged there, propping himself up with one elbow on the step behind him, his long legs trailing down the steps before him and crossed at the ankles. The girls stopped several yards short of the building.

Anna sighed and shook her head as she stared at him. "Such a waste." Then she cast a sidelong glance at Elsa, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "So, a month, huh?"

She frowned and hesitantly said, "Yeah."

Nudging her with her shoulder, she asked, "Would you mind if I borrowed him? I mean, since you're not using him."

"Anna…"

"Oh, the things I'd do to that boy if I had him alone and tied down and-"

"Anna!"

She giggled. "I'm just teasing you, Sis! Lighten up! Besides, you know I'm spoken for now." She looked past Elsa and her eyes brightened. "Speaking of, there's Hans now."

Hans. That turned out to be the name of the "cutie" that Anna had hooked up with the other night at the bar. Elsa supposed the name Hans made more sense than her earlier guesses of Hand or Hams. Then again, as a parent, how cool would it have been to name your child Hams?

Apparently, Elsa had a very loose concept of what was considered cool.

She followed her sister's gaze to the man in question. He was moderate in build, with green eyes and a light smattering of faint freckles across his nose. He had short, fluffy chestnut colored hair with sideburns. Ugh, sideburns. Like Steve. Were sideburns making a comeback? Elsa surely hoped not. Anyway, looking past his hair styling preferences, Hans was definitely deserving in the title of cutie. Though…

...he certainly was no Axel…

Woah, where had that thought come from? Elsa swiftly swept it to the furthest recesses of her mind.

Anna did a little hop as she waved to get Hans's attention. He smiled warmly and returned the wave. "Well, I'm off. You have fun. Well, as much fun as you can have… _studying_ ," Anna said, wrinkling her nose in distaste. "Yeck!"

She chuckled. "I will. You do the same. Try not to stay out too late, you have that test tomorrow morning, remember?"

"Yeah, don't remind me," she groaned before skipping off. As she got closer to Hans, her frolicking turned into running, and at the last second she pounced on him. He caught her, spun her around, and the two of them laughed. Elsa couldn't help but smile watching them.

Like Elsa, Anna normally wasn't too big on romantic commitments either, but for very different reasons. Anna was the type to throw everything she had into loving someone, then lose interest after about a day and move on. The fact that this thing she had going with Hans had lasted nearly five days now was impressive. Must have been something special about him, something different. They looked so happy together. It would be nice to have something like that with someone.

Elsa supposed Anna just wished the same thing for her. At least, that's what she took away from the conversation they had just had with her. Anna may have had somewhat crude ways of expressing it, but really, she just wanted her older sister to not be lonely. To find someone that would make her happy.

She tore her eyes away from the cute couple and looked towards Axel. Maybe… there was a remote possibility…

No. Not going down that route. Not yet anyway. Let's give it a month then see how we feel about it, okay?

Taking a deep breath, Elsa approached the library. When she drew near, Axel's eyes shifted and he caught sight of her. As she began to climb up the stairs, he gave her a nod. "Yo, chica."

Coming to a stop beside him on the step, she tilted her head to one side. Chica? "Hey…" she began awkwardly, not sure if she should return the favor. Why not? She racked her brain for a split second. "...garçon."

Fail.

He raised an eyebrow. "...did you just call me a waiter?"

Best to just own it. She lifted her chin. "Yeah. What of it?"

One corner of his mouth crooked up. "Just checking." He took a drag off his cigarette before adding, "You can head in if you want, I'll follow in a minute."

She looked up the stairs at the library entrance for a second, then turned around and took a seat beside him. "Nah, I can wait."

He shrugged, "Suit yourself."

They sat in silence and she observed as he breathed in his cigarette once more. He held the smoke in for a second before letting it out slowly between his teeth. The thick streams drifted upward and he inhaled them into his nostrils. The trick gave him the brief appearance of having a bottom row of long, curved fangs. Once he had breathed in all the smoke a second time, he released it once more through his mouth, taking care to direct it away from her.

Placing an elbow on one knee and setting her chin in her hand, Elsa watched the cigarette as he brought it up to his mouth once more. However, when he removed it, her eyes remained fixated on his lips. She stared and her mind drifted back to a few mornings ago. You know, _that_ morning. She could almost still feel the warmth of his lips on hers, the sensation of their bodies pressed up against each other, the way-

Shut up, brain. Totally not cool.

She scowled and looked away, turning her gaze instead towards the horizon. The sun hung low in the sky, bathing them in golden light as the day drew to a close. Sighing, she closed her eyes and just focused on the feeling of the sun warming her skin.

"Oi," she heard Axel say a minute later.

Turning her head back towards him, she found he had rolled himself onto his side, bringing himself closer to her. His face was inches away from hers and she could smell the faint scent of tobacco. He lifted his hand, his still smoldering cigarette between his fingers. He reached towards her face and his pinky softly grazed her cheek. His feather-light touch sent shocks of heat throughout her flesh and she froze, holding her breath. He stared into her eyes for a moment, then his gaze shifted down to her mouth and time seemed to stand still. Then he brought his face closer to hers. He stopped just short of her lips, giving her a chance to push him away. When she didn't, he closed the distance.

He was gentle at first, as if concerned he might break her if he pushed too hard. Her pulse pounded in her ears as they slowly eased into it and bit by bit, it turned into something fervent and hungry. His tongue teased her lips, requesting entry. She let him in. His breath was hot and she felt dizzy. She leaned into him, her hand gripping onto his shirt for support. He tasted like cinnamon and smoke. The latter didn't bother her as much as she thought it might have.

Suddenly, he broke it off and pulled away. Dazed and disoriented, the only coherent thing Elsa could manage to say was, "What…?"

"That, poppet, was the five-star experience."

She was vaguely aware of a sharp click coming from somewhere distant. "Elsa?" More of the clicking sound. "Hello? Earth to Elsa, anyone in there?"

With a start, she opened her eyes and discovered that noise had been Axel snapping his fingers in front of her face. He had one eyebrow arched at her in question. Confused, it took Elsa a moment to puzzle out what had just happened.

Had she been… daydreaming? ...that kiss... hadn't really happened?

Okay, seriously, what the hell, brain? What was that shit about? It seemed her mind was getting increasingly unruly by the day and in need of punishment. She'd have to subject it to Justin Bieber when she got home. That'd teach it.

Also, what had he called her during her little fantasy? Poppet, was it? What was _that_ about? Was that really a term she thought he would have used? Did she have some secret desire to be called poppet? What was a poppet anyway?

"You were zoning out on me," she heard Axel say as he shifted his eyes straight ahead to stare at the reddening sky. "Something on your mind?"

Yeah, your lips. If only her mind weren't the only thing they were on.

...shut your whore mouth, brain. Just shut it.

She found she couldn't look at him without her face heating up, so her eyes darted around as she tried to come up with something, _anything_ , to say. Then she spotted his cigarette again and blurted out the first thing that popped into her head. "Those things will kill you, you know."

Brilliant. Dazzle him with your originality.

"No shit? And here I was thinking they were the Fountain of Youth in a stick."

"Funny. Hope that sharp wit is a comfort ten years from now when lung cancer has you coughing up blood and feeling like you're breathing through a crooked straw."

He cupped a hand to his ear. "Doth my ears deceive me? Do I detect a note of concern for my general well being?"

She snorted. "Don't flatter yourself. I just think that's an awful way for anyone to go."

"Awful... or totally metal?"

"...no, just awful." This guy. Was everything a joke to him? There had to be a way put it in terms he'd understand and wouldn't just shrug off, to speak his language and say something that mattered to him. She pondered it for and second, then she had it. "Besides, I'll have you know that making out with an ashtray isn't particularly attractive."

Boom. Headshot.

He blinked, then scratched his nose. "You didn't seem to mind it the other day."

Right. She kind of set herself up for that one. Coughing into her fist, she replied, "Well... it'd been several hours since your last cigarette, so it wasn't that strong anymore. Plus it helped that you're a good kisser."

That last part slipped out before she even realized she was saying it. Where had _that_ come from? She could almost hear that wicked corner of her brain cackling maniacally.

For real. Justin Bieber. In max volume, stereo surround sound and on ten hour repeat. Then it'd learn not to be so obstinate, that is if she didn't tear out her eardrums first.

Axel didn't reply. She dreaded looking at him, but haltingly forced herself to.

Cigarette clenched between his teeth, he was giving her the smuggest, most shit-eating grin she had ever seen in her life.

Flustered and resisting the urge to slap that grin right off his face, she hastily asked, "Did I say good? I meant decent. Actually, no, it was just meh. I mean, I suppose it wasn't totally gag-worthy." When he continued to just silently grin at her, she suddenly rose to her feet. "You know what? I think I _will_ head inside now."

She spun on her heel and began to walk up the steps. She heard him chuckle softly behind her, and something about it just made her come to an screeching stop once more. Looking at him out of the corner of her narrowed eyes, she began, "If we-" She cut herself off, rethinking her word choice before trying again. "I don't know where we'll be one month from now, but regardless, I'd prefer it if you didn't die before the age of forty."

He craned his neck around, blinking up at her a couple times. Then he shrugged and took the cigarette out of his mouth. "Keh. I was done anyway," he said, flicking the butt into a nearby trash bin before standing as well, shoving his hands into his pockets and following her inside.

They found an empty table in a secluded corner of the library. It didn't take them long to get settled in, get out their books, and get to work. However, Elsa once again found it hard to concentrate on studying. The words on the page were just gibberish as her thoughts meandered elsewhere.

Here it was, not even a week into their little arrangement, and it seemed her subconscious has already decided exactly where it wanted things to go with Axel. And yet, she still didn't really know a thing about him. And wasn't that the whole point of this? Well that, and she hadn't wanted anything to get in the way of her studies. Clearly she had everything under control on _that_ front, given that she couldn't even focus on the stupid assignment at the moment.

Without lifting her head, she snuck a glance at him through her lashes. He seemed to be hard at work on the homework, which was actually rather surprising to her. Even though she had been the one to suggest these study sessions, she hadn't expected him to actually study, not even for a moment. Would wonders never cease?

She should ask him something. It made sense, right? If she wanted to get to know him so badly, that would be the most logical place to start. He had after all asked her that boyfriend question, so it would only be fair, wouldn't it? But what to ask him? She really had no clue where to even begin.

Sighing, she looked back down at her book and something caught her eye on the page she was opened to. In the middle of a bunch of text was a picture of a black wheel. Suddenly she was reminded of Axel's tattoo, the one she had seen on his shoulder blade a few nights ago.

...would it be weird to ask about that out of the blue? Probably. Was she going to do it anyway? You bet.

Here goes nothing.

"Can I ask you a question?"

He looked up at her, smirking at the déjà vu of her words. "Sure. Does something not make sense?" he mockingly echoed her response from a few days earlier, tapping a finger to his textbook.

She snorted. "Even if that were the case, I'd know better than to ask you."

"Psh, whatever. I know the material like the back of my hand. I could recite this crap in my sleep. I'm in the zone. This is my sweet spot."

"I thought your sweet spot was your ears," she muttered beneath her breath.

He blinked. "What?"

What possessed her to say _that_? Clearing her throat, she hastily said, "Nothing." Wrap it up, move it along. "Er… so you know your stuff, huh? Prove it. Let's see that homework assignment you've been working so diligently on."

Grinning proudly, he held it up to show her. Not a single question had been answered. Instead, he had drawn over all of it with a pencil sketch depicting what appeared to be a robot dinosaur fighting a… she squinted at the drawing.

"...is that a waffle monster?"

" _That_ ," he pointed, "is Waffzilla, mighty defender of the fair city of Brunchville, battling his arch nemesis, RoboRex."

She gave him a blank stare. Then she hid a tiny smile behind her hand. "You're in serious need of a shrink, you know that?"

"Bring it. I'd win."

"...win? During a therapy session?"

Leaning forward and folding his arms across each other on top of the table, he nodded. "What, don't think I could out-shrink a shrink?"

She shook her head and sighed. "You know, I suspect you can do anything you put your mind to. Except study. Or homework."

"I'll take that as a compliment," he beamed. "So, what'd you want to ask me about?"

Oh, right. She had almost forgotten. "Actually, I was curious about the tattoo on your shoulder."

"My…" One hand unconsciously reached for his shoulder and both eyebrows went up his forehead. "How do you know about that?"

"It was kind of hard to miss when you were drunk and decided to go half-monty in my guestroom."

"Ah," he muttered, looking down. Was it possible he was embarrassed? Probably not. She doubted anything embarrassed this guy. "Alright, what do you want to know about it?"

She absentmindedly tapped her pencil against the open textbook. "Um, well… for starters, when did you get it?"

He shrugged. "Almost a year ago."

"Does it mean anything to you? Or did you just want a sick tat and slapped on the first thing you saw that you thought looked cool?"

He gave her a half-smirk. "Nah, it has a meaning. It's something I thought about beforehand."

Her head tilted to one side and she looked at him expectantly. "So, what does it mean then?"

"You know, you're the first person who ever cared enough to ask, which is..." He glanced sideways. "Heh. Nevermind. Anyway, it's the Dharma Wheel."

Elsa eyebrows knit together. "Dharma? That's a Buddhist thing, isn't it?"

Nodding, he said, "It can be. The Dharma Wheel is a symbol of Buddhism, and represents different things depending on how many spokes the wheel has."

"And yours has…" she paused, scrunching her nose as she searched her memory. "...four?"

"Yup," Axel nodded again. He leaned back, balancing his chair on its two hind legs as he went on, "Mine represents The Four Noble Truths."

"Which are?"

"Well, the first one is pretty straightforward," he said, holding up a finger. "Life is suffering."

She blinked. "Well, that's bleak. I thought Buddhists were all about peace and happiness and love."

"What do you think they are, a bunch of hippies? No, Buddhism is some serious shit, and the first thing it teaches you is that life blows. The sooner you recognize and accept that, the better. It's just a fact of life."

Crossing her arms, she said, "Alright. So then, what's the second truth?"

"The second one," he held up two fingers now, "is what causes that suffering."

"Is it fear? Since, you know, fear leads to anger, anger leads to-"

"Points for the Star Wars reference, Yoda, but no," he snorted, causing his chair to wobble precariously on its two legs. "It's desire. Basically, we humans are all a bunch of dumb, greedy fucks who want what we can't have. Even if we do get what we want, we're happy for like two seconds before we're bitching and moaning about how much life sucks again."

"You have a real flowery way with words, you know that?"

"Yeah, I know. I'm a regular Shakespeare," he smirked. He held up a third finger. "The next one is that we must _realize_ what dumb, greedy fucks we are. Not only realize it, but be okay with it. It's okay to want things. It's basic human nature, it's not like we can just turn that shit off. Now that doesn't mean it's okay to simply indulge in whatever it is we desire, just that you shouldn't hate yourself or the fact that you desire it."

"So basically… it is what it is?"

"Precisely. Once we understand that, we can step back from the desire, start to understand it, and then let it go. That's how to end suffering."

"Let it go?" Elsa quirked an eyebrow. "That simple, huh?"

"Of course it's not that simple. If it were, Buddhists wouldn't essentially devote their entire lives to figuring out just how to do that."

"Okay… so then, how exactly _do_ they let go?"

"That leads into the final truth." He let his chair fall forward onto all its legs once more as he raised finger number four. "The Noble Eightfold Path. It can be pretty much summed up as a Buddhist handbook of dos and don'ts. I'll spare you the full details, but it's fairly standard stuff, like behave like a decent human being, be mindful, don't lie, don't hurt others… basically, don't be a dick."

Her lips twisted dubiously. "...that's the secret to achieving Nirvana? Don't be a dick?"

Axel scratched his cheek. "Well, it's a little more complicated than that, but that's the basic concept. Anyway, that's it. That's my tattoo. Cliff notes version: life sucks, don't be a dick and maybe life will suck a little bit less."

She chuckled. "I like it. It's simple."

"I thought so." He looked pleased.

"I wouldn't have taken you for a Buddhist."

"Do I have to be a Buddhist to appreciate its teachings or find truth in the ideals?"

"No… I guess not," she admitted.

This was all very strange. She wasn't sure what kind of answer she had expected when she had asked about his tattoo, but she certainly hadn't expected this. In what little time she had known him, he had gone from violent psycho to goofy drunk to outrageous flirt. And now he was… what, some sort of philosopher too? Just how many different sides did he have?

"So, do you have any other tattoos?" she asked after a brief lull.

He cocked his head, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "Maybe."

"...maybe?"

Propping his elbow on the table and leaning his cheek into his palm, he said, "How about this? I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

She blinked. "You think I have tattoos?"

"Not sure." He shrugged before giving her a wicked little grin and whispering, "But I'd certainly love to find out."

And we were back to the outrageous flirt. Maybe there was no deeper side to this guy. Maybe he had just been making all that stuff up to make himself sound wise, and really had no idea what he was talking about. Who knew? She surely didn't at this point.

She smirked. "You know, that sounds awfully like a desire. Weren't you just saying something about learning to let desires go?"

His shoulders bobbed up and down as his grin widened. "Eh. I'd have made a crappy Buddhist anyway."

* * *

_**Author's Note:** I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and I really hope I didn't offend any Buddhists out there! If you hadn't guessed, Axel's tattoo is loosely based on one of his chakrams, but it wasn't supposed to actually be a chakram in this AU, so it evolved into the Dharma Wheel. I did not take the task of explaining it lightly. Many upon many days of research were spent cross-referencing about thirty different websites/books and consulting people more knowledgeable on the subject than I, and then trying to condense it all down into a TLDR version, all filtered through Axel's flowery way with words. So, I hope that it turned out okay!_

_Fun Fact - Well, not so much a fact per se, but more of a head canon (tho this is my story, so not sure if it is "head canon" or just... canon... heh, anyway) you may or may not have noticed, but Axel only does smoking tricks (smoke rings, the fangs this chapter) when Elsa is around. He's low key trying to impress her. It's not working._

_Have any questions about my story? Want to know more fun facts/head canons? Feel free to ask! As long as you're not asking for story spoilers, I'll happily answer! Want to know our main characters' favorite music? food? color? Wonder what their zodiac signs are, or if they had to be an animal, what kind they would be? Some other obscure, strange question? Just ask! I love coming up with answers to silly little questions like that! Here's a freebie: Elsa's favorite music includes classical, Nightwish, any 80s pop band, and a guilty pleasure of Disney-equivalent children songs (since, ya know, Disney itself wouldn't exist in this world xD). Axel's tastes leans towards the obscure bands like Stellar Corpses, Darkest of the Hillside Thickets, and Vernian Process. He does have a guilty pleasure too tho, and it's sappy love songs._

_Gosh, I promised a few chapters ago my author's notes wouldn't be so long, I'm sorry, I just like to ramble apparently >.< Thanks to everyone who left kudos and comments! Thank you all for reading, hoped you liked it, please leave feedback and let me know what you think! See ya'll next week!_


	7. Day 6

It was a day like any other ordinary day. It was a class like any other ordinary class. The teacher was giving a lecture like any other ordinary lecture.

But then Axel did something completely out of the ordinary.

He pressed a folded up piece of paper onto Elsa's desk and slid it towards her. She stared at it blankly for a second before giving him a questioning look. His eyes were fixed straight ahead, pretending to pay attention to the lesson. She turned to look at the professor, but the woman was engrossed in giving her lecture and hadn't noticed Axel's little delivery.

Her eyes returned to the folded sheet. She hesitated a moment more before her curiosity got the better of her. She gingerly picked it up and did her best to unfold it without making any noise. It turned out to be a note on which was written:

_Do you like me? Check one:_

Beneath it were two checkboxes, one for "Yes" and one for "No."

Elsa blinked at the juvenile message a couple times. Then she turned to face him once more, her lips pressed into a flat line, her eyelids drooped, and one eyebrow arched. It was a look that asked, _Seriously?_

He looked at her now, flashing a cheeky smile.

She casually balled up the piece of paper and threw it at him, bouncing it off his forehead. She then turned her attention back to the teacher, shaking her head.

Dork.

A minute later, as she was writing down something the lecturer had said, Axel slyly planted another folded up note onto her desk. She released a sigh and hung her head. Then, rolling her eyes, she picked this one up as well and opened it up.

_I'm sorry, was that a yes or a no?_

She smacked herself in the forehead and heard a muffled snort from him.

Little did she know that this was only the beginning.

* * *

Axel's head was tipped to one side as he eyed Elsa with a raised eyebrow.

It was later that day and they were now studying at the library once more. Elsa was wearing a necklace with a small silver snowflake pendant, which was currently the point of his focus. As she pored over her textbook, her fingers absently fiddled with the pendant, zigzagging it back and forth along the chain.

This wasn't what had him so fascinated. Everyone had their tiny quirks, such as nail biting or hair chewing. This one wasn't that abnormal, nor even distracting really. However, this wasn't where her habit ended. There was more.

She slid the snowflake along the chain a couple more times before bringing it to a stop, her eyes still glued to the pages. Then slowly, she lifted the little talisman and popped it into her mouth. She held it there for a few seconds before releasing it and letting it fall against her collarbone once more. She then returned to sliding it back and forth as she read.

She had done it three times now. Well, that he knew of anyway. Was that even sanitary? Not that it really bothered him. Honestly, there wasn't much that could gross Axel out. But still, it was a somewhat strange mannerism.

Also kind of cute. In a weird way.

He watched as she put the silver amulet back in her mouth. He could no longer resist commenting.

"What's that snowflake made of? Crack?"

She looked up at his question, blinking owlishly, her necklace dangling from either side of her mouth. It took her a second to realize what he was referring too, then looking embarrassed, she opened her mouth and let the pendant drop again. Scratching her temple, she muttered, "Sorry. Bad habit. I'm not even aware when I'm doing it. My mother used to do it too."

He shook his head. "No need to be sorry, I just thought it was funny. How'd your mom stop?"

"She died."

He blanched. "...died, as in... not alive?"

Dumbass. What the hell kind of question was that?

She quirked an eyebrow at him. "Is there another kind of died?"

"Right. Of course not," he mumbled, rubbing the nape of his neck. Well, this whole conversation had turned into a major train wreck in the space of three seconds. He had to say something to salvage it. "...that's certainly one way to kick a bad habit."

...what the actual fuck, mouth?

"I guess… Not really an option I was planning on exploring though," she deadpanned.

"That's probably a good idea," he chuckled awkwardly. Silence stretched for a minute before he finally said, "Shit. I'm sorry… about your mom. I didn't-"

"It's okay," she cut him off, smiling wistfully. "She… It happened a long time ago." Elsa closed her eyes. "Both my parents are gone, actually."

He winced. Ouch. Tug on the ol' heartstrings, why don't you? Okay, better say something heartfelt and sincere. "Damn. That blows."

Nailed it.

She made a soft noise that was somewhere between a sigh and a chuckle. "Yeah, it really does."

"...would it be totally rude of me to ask what happened?"

One side of her lips twitched upward. "Even if it were, when has that ever stopped you?" She was teasing him. Good. At least the lack of filter between his brain and mouth hadn't seemed to offend her. She hesitated for a second before asking, "You know my last name is Fryse, right?"

"No…" he said, shaking his head slowly. There was something familiar about the name though, an itch at the back of his brain that he couldn't quite scratch. "...should that mean something to me?"

Her head rocked back a bit at that, but then she hid a small smile behind her fingers. Clearing her throat, she asked instead, "Have you heard of Arendelle Ice?

Now _that_ did ring a bell. "You mean the big diamond company owned by those hoity-toity snobs? What was the family, the… Fraggles? No, that wasn't it… the Freeds? The Frieds?"

"How about Fryse?"

He snapped his fingers. "Yeah, that's it! Wait…" His brow furrowed. Give him a minute. "Holy shit!" There it is. "Arendelle Ice is your family's business?" At her nod, he blurted out, "Woah. So, you're loaded."

Subtlety. He didn't know the meaning of the word.

She snorted. "I guess you could say that. Anyway, my parents were really involved with running their company. My sister and I were practically raised by our butler because of it. It's not that our parents' didn't love us, it's just that the term workaholic would have been an understatement for them. They were at the office practically day and night, and constantly away on business trips.

"There was one such trip…" she faltered, her eyes misting almost imperceptibly. "It took them overseas. They were in a rush to get it over with and return home. They took a jet back as soon as they were able, even though there were storm warnings that they would have normally delayed their flight for until they had the all clear. They, ah… the storm took the jet down somewhere in the middle of the ocean… the wreckage was never recovered..."

He grimaced and struggled for a response. "That's… I'm really sorry," was all he could come up with. The words sounded lame and hollow to him. "Why were they in such a hurry?"

Elsa flinched and she averted her eyes. He got the sense that she had been hoping he wouldn't ask that question. Why? The answer became readily apparent as she finally said, "They were trying to make it back in time for my ninth birthday."

His mouth went dry. Fuck. How awful. What do you even say to something like that? Bad enough for the parents to die when she was so young, but under those circumstances? Had she blamed herself back then? Did she _still_ blame herself today?

The pity must have been written all over her face, for she said hastily, "It's fine, really. Like I said, it was a long time ago."

He scratched the back of his head and said nothing at first. Somehow, he got the feeling it was anything but "fine." However, it was probably the best idea to move the conversation along as swiftly as possible. "Then what happened? You know, after…"

She visibly relaxed. "Our butler, Olaf, became the legal guardian of my sister and me. He'd been under my parent's employ for decades and was practically one of the family already. He now watches over our estate while Anna and I are away at college."

"The butler, huh? How very Bruce Wayne of you. Do you also have a secret lair and a Batmobile?"

That earned him a small smile. "If I did, why would I tell you and blow my secret identity?"

"Good call. My bad," he smirked and shrugged. "What about Arendelle Ice? Did you take over and earn the title of world's youngest CEO?"

"At age nine?" she laughed. "No, not exactly."

"Dang. That would have been freaking adorable."

Shaking her head and still smiling softly, she said, "I do actually plan to take over the company one day. That's why I'm taking this class, it's required for my degree since I'm majoring in Business." She cocked an eyebrow at him. "I'm still not sure why you're enrolled in it though."

"Cuz I do what I want," he chirped, lifting his chin. "Do you?"

She frowned. "Do I…?"

"Do what you want?" he clarified, resting his cheek in his palm. "Is majoring in Business and running the family company really what you want to do with your life?"

"I- That is-" she stuttered, seemingly taken aback. "Of course it is! Why wouldn't it be?"

He shrugged. "Just curious. I mean, becoming the CEO of a multimillion dollar corporation is fine and dandy and all, but it's not exactly the type of thing little kids dream about becoming one day. They want to grow up to be stuff like astronauts and doctors and cowgirls and choo-choo trains and rocketships. Me, I wanted to be a fireman." His eyes flashed mischievously. "That is until I found out they put fires _out_. Man, what a disappointment that was. Anyway, I guess what I'm wondering is, what did kid-you dream about becoming when you grew up?"

"I…" she trailed off and appeared to be at a loss. After a few seconds however, her eyes hardened and she said, "Let me instead ask you a question. What do _you_ want to do?"

_What_ did he want to do? More like _who_. He grinned wolfishly.

"With your life," she hastily tacked on. It seemed she had sensed the particularly wicked retort forming on the tip of his tongue. Shame. "Do you know what you want to do with your life?"

His shoulders bobbed. "Not a clue."

"Ha. Then I don't think you have room to talk," she said triumphantly.

"Maybe. But there's a big difference between you and me." He jerked a thumb into his chest. "I may not know where I want to end up in life, but at least I'm open to all possibilities and new opportunities." Pointing at her, he went on, "You, on the other hand, have your life on this narrow path with a fixed outcome. Everything is set in stone. Which is totally cool if that's actually what you want, but somehow I get the feeling that you've never given that much actual thought into what it is you really want."

She just stared at him unblinking for a few seconds. Then she looked away, twisting her braid in her hands and frowning. "Well… I guess… maybe it is something that I haven't really considered. It's just that, with all the work that went towards keeping my parents' business after they died, it only seemed natural that I'd take it over one day… like it was, I don't know… the only proper thing to do."

"What do you mean, all the work that went towards keeping it?"

She sighed. "When my parents' passed, there was this huge power struggle over the company. Technically, it still belonged to my family, but shareholders began fighting to seize control of it. They caused enough turmoil to temporarily put control in limbo and freeze all our financial assets. There was a brief period where my sister and I were penniless.

"Thanks to Olaf, it's not like we were homeless or anything, and eventually, with the help of acquaintances still loyal to our family, we got everything back. But…" she paused, her eyelids drooping as she hugged herself. "...to have to be put through that as a child after just losing your parents… and by people who were supposed to be my parents' friends, who I'd known all my life through company events and holiday parties, whose children I had grown up with…"

"Wow," Axel said flatly. "People suck."

The sheer bluntness and pure simplicity of the statement made Elsa snort and then burst out laughing. "Yeah. They really do."

"I think I'm starting to get you a little more though."

Her head tilted to one side. "What do you mean?"

"You hate people."

"Well yeah, but that's not a hard one to work out."

"But," he continued, raising a finger, "you don't really. Oh, you _want_ to hate people, really really want to. And you put up a good show of it too. But you can't actually bring yourself to do it. Deep down, you want to give people a chance."

She looked unconvinced. "And what makes you say that?"

He flashed her a cheshire grin. "Why else would you put up with a fuckwit like me?"

Elsa blinked at him, then looked down at her textbook with a low chuckle. "Maybe I just haven't figured out how to get rid of you yet."

"Good luck with that one, toots. I'm gonna stick to you like super glue."

When she looked up at him once more, her eyes danced impishly. "We'll see," was all she said, but it came with a hint of a challenge.

His grin stretched a tiny bit wider.

Challenge accepted.

* * *

_**Author's Note:** Woah, that was some real talk there. Well, about as real talkie as this story is probably gonna get xD Fun Fact - Elsa's last name is a pun. With a lil digging, shouldn't be too hard for ya'll figure out :D  
_

_More Fun Facts - So I did get some questions sent to me, thank you :D Alright, favorite colors: Axel's favorite color is orange, the color of Halloween, ie pumpkins, ie JACK-O-LANTERNS! Also the color of his favorite muppet, Animal. Yah, watching that puppet on TV helped him through some rough times as a child. As for Elsa, you might think her favorite color is blue because she wears it a lot. However, that's mostly because Anna thinks blue looks so pretty on her. She's never really consciously thought about it, so even she doesn't know this off the top of her head, but oddly enough her favorite color is actually brown. The color of chocolate and... it was the color of her mother's hair, which she thought was absolutely beautiful as a child._

_There was also a boxers or briefs question xD Axel is a boxers man, tho he does occasionally go commando if the mood so takes him ;) Carpe diem!  
_

_Any other random/silly/obscure/whatever questions about the main characters, or the non-main characters, or anything else ya'll can think of? Let me know! Thanks to everyone who left me comments! Thank you all for reading, hoped you liked it, please leave feedback and let me know what you think! Be back next week!_


	8. Day 7

Elsa's pen froze mid-sentence as she watched Axel's fingers slide a new note onto her desk. She narrowed her eyes at the piece of paper, then at him. He didn't look at her, instead choosing to feign interest in his notebook as he doodled in the margins.

Should she read his note? She was almost tempted not to just to spite him. She pursed her lips, her writing utensil jiggling between two fingers as she deliberated. Then, almost reluctantly, she picked it up and unfolded it. What was it going to say this time?

_Do you like me? Check one:_

Followed once again by a box for the affirmative and a box for the negative.

Her right eye ticked. This again? What, was this going to be a running gag now?

Axel still didn't turn his face towards her, but she could sense him watching her out of the corner of his eye. His lips formed a half grin as he waited to see what she would do. Slowly, and with great care, she folded the note up once more. She then tapped it against her chin a couple times in thought as the lecturer droned on through the lesson. Finally, she acted.

She deposited it onto the desk on her other side. The girl seated there, a brunette, shifted her eyes to the note, to Elsa, then back to the note. Then she picked it up.

Axel blinked a couple times. Elsa stuck her tongue out at him. He pouted.

She turned her head back to the girl to see she had opened the note and, having apparently read it, was now staring at Elsa, brow furrowed. Rapidly shaking her head, Elsa mouthed 'from him' as she pointed at Axel. The girl looked past her to the redhead and eyed him up and down briefly. Then a small smile tugged at her lips. Note still in hand, she wrote something down on it before she folded it back up and handed it to Elsa. Somewhat bemused, she passed it along to Axel. Quirking an eyebrow, he opened it and scanned its contents.

Half an hour later, the class came to an end. The brunette rose from her seat and winked at Axel as she walked passed him before melding into the crowd of students filing out the door.

"What did she write to you?" Elsa asked as she packed her things into her bag, trying to sound as if she didn't care. Because obviously, she didn't really. Duh.

He unfurled the paper once more and showed it to her. "Her digits."

Indeed, in addition to his original note, there were now seven numbers. The "Yes" box had also been filled in with a little heart, which Elsa wrinkled her nose at. "A heart? Really? How cheesy."

Scrutinizing the sheet closely, he asked, "You think so? I thought it was kind of classy."

She snorted. "Please. Besides, can she even read? Your note said to _check_ one, not _heart_ one."

"Right. Inability to follow simple directions. Total turn off," he deadpanned.

Shrugging, she said, "Hey, I'm just trying to look out for you, have your back."

"Oh?" He smirked as he leaned towards her, propping his elbow on the armrest separating their chairs and resting his chin against his knuckles. "Or maybe you're just jelly."

"Who, me? Nope," she popped the P and smiled sweetly at him. "We're just friends, remember?" Her fingers reached up and gave him a quick pinch on the cheek. "Go get her, tiger." Then she rose, slung her bag over her shoulder and left the classroom.

Face blank, he watched her go. Then he released a heavy sigh and slouched low in his seat, pouting once more.

* * *

"What's that?"

Axel halted in his tracks to look where Elsa was pointing, which was his bicep. "Oh, that? That'd be one of my guns." He flexed the muscle and mimicked the noise of cocking a pistol before adding, "Blam, blam!"

She fought against the smile forming on her lips and rolled her eyes from her seat at the library table. "Okay, holster the firearm, Tex. I meant what's that _on_ your arm?" She pointed again, indicating the corner of something peeking out from under the sleeve of his t-shirt.

"Oh," he mumbled sheepishly, before lifting his sleeve to reveal a small, plain white square stuck to his upper arm.

Elsa tipped her head to one side. "A nicotine patch?"

"Yup," he nodded, before resuming his mission of carrying the library book he had been using over to its shelf, which was just a few feet behind where Elsa sat.

"You're trying to quit?" she asked as he returned the book to its spot and she heard it sliding into place.

"Yup," Axel chirped again.

She blinked. "That's… wow, good for you! Why'd you suddenly decide to kick the habit?"

She turned her head to look at him and nearly jumped out of her skin when she found he had bent down beside her so that they were eye level with each other. His eyes were hooded as he graced her with a devious little grin. Head slightly tilted at an angle, he was close enough that she could feel his breath warming her lips as he murmured, "Because I have it on good authority that some people don't find making out with an ashtray particularly attractive."

Don't you dare, cheeks. Don't even think about it. If you so much as-

Too late. Her cheeks were already merrily roasting away at a lovely shade of red.

Damn it.

His grin turned smug as he backed off and plopped down into his chair. Scowling, Elsa said, " _Somebody_ is overconfident. We've been at this for barely a week, and I-"

"You? Who said anything about making out with you? Maybe I had that brunette from earlier in mind." His eyes twinkled mischievously as he innocently went on, " _Somebody_ is presumptuous."

Her face grew hotter and she looked away. "That wasn't where I was going with that." It was. "As I was saying, we've been at this for barely a week, and I…" Alright, think up something, pronto. "...can tell you… that, uh…" Come on, say something. Anything! Anything to wipe that stupid, cocky grin off his face. "...that if you're worried about… being unattractive, then… bad breath is the least of your problems!" The last few words tumbled out in a rush.

He quirked an eyebrow, grin still present. If anything, her comment had only seemed to make it stronger. "Oh? Do tell."

She blurted out the first thing she could come up with. "You hair. For starters."

"My…?" A hand flew to his scalp. "What's wrong with my hair?"

"Well, nothing exactly, but uh… have you ever thought of doing anything else with it? You know, make it look more presentable? Try a ponytail once in a while."

He rubbed his chin. "That could be doable. What else?"

She paused as she tried to find something unattractive about him. Not going to lie, it was a challenge. She wasn't about to tell the smug jerk that, though. Her eyes focused on his cheeks and finally she said, "Those things under your eyes."

Now he frowned as his index finger brushed one of the upside down teardrop marks. "What about them?"

She actually didn't have a problem with them, but the obstinate, stubborn side of her wasn't about to let her admit that, not now that she had already begun down this road. "Most girls just don't like feeling as if they're making out with Ronald McDonald."

He nodded slowly, then asked, "What about the winged eyeliner?"

She was silent a moment as she stared at him before averting her gaze and mumbling, "Keep it."

The grin was back. "Duly noted."

Opening her mouth to say something else, the words died in her throat as Axel looked past her and his smile faltered. Knitting her eyebrows together, she turned to see what had caught his attention.

A male student had come in through the entrance and was making his way across the library. His hair had been dyed a pale sky blue and trailed down his back to his waist, with bangs that were slicked back into jagged points on top of his head. His impassive, marine colored eyes scanned the room aimlessly as he walked. When they fell on Axel, he froze.

The redhead slowly raised a hand and gave a halfhearted wave. In response, the other guy simply scowled, turned and kept walking until he disappeared behind a row of bookshelves. Axel's lips pressed together into a thin line.

Elsa watched the exchange, blinking a couple times. What was _that_ about?

When he didn't exactly volunteer any information, she asked, "Who was that?"

Expressionless, he looked down at his textbook and flipped a page as he muttered, "Nobody. Just someone I know."

She waited for more, but apparently that's all he had to say on the matter. She frowned, then gently prodded, "Come on. I gave you my tragic backstory yesterday, and that's all I get in return? That's not how this works, buddy, we're supposed to be getting to know each other. Quid pro quo." A ghost of a smirk formed on her lips. "So spill your guts, Red."

One corner of his mouth turned up. "Heh. You have a point there." He hesitated as he rubbed the nape of his neck, then said, "That was Saix. He's my best friend."

"Really? Didn't seem like it. Besides, I would have thought that blonde guy I always see you hanging out with was."

"Who, Roxas? Nah. Roxas is cool and is my homie and all, but Saix is my bro. My brother from another mother. My bestie, my BFF. We go way back, all the way to the second grade when we bonded over our mutual love of slugs, pirates, and sea salt ice cream."

Both eyebrows shot up her forehead. "Wow, that long? And going to the same college too? Talk about being joined at the hip."

He smirked. "Says the girl who goes to the same college as her sister and also shares an apartment with said sister."

"Touché."

"But yeah, we're pretty much inseparable. Like this," he held up his hand and crossed two fingers together. Then he frowned. "Or… rather, we used to be."

"What happened?" she softly coaxed.

He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. "You know, I'm still trying to figure that one out. But I guess it all started when we joined a frat."

Her lips formed a perfect O. "A frat? _You_?"

He shrugged. "Is it really that surprising?"

"I don't know, you just don't really seem like the type."

He gave a soft snort. "Oh? So tell me then, what exactly is the frat type?"

"First of all... Well, there is a… It's... " She struggled for an answer, her face screwed up in thought. She pondered it for a moment before finally stating decidedly, "Not you."

He arched an eyebrow at her. "You don't know the first thing about frats, do you?"

"...not really."

Axel snickered. "We're not all just a bunch of drunk idiots who say 'bro' a lot."

"But you are an idiot, you were plastered just last week, and you called Saix your bro just a minute ago."

He opened his mouth as if to argue, froze, then shut it. He scratched his temple. "Well, crap. There goes my high horse."

Elsa bit back a laugh and clapped her hands. "Way to break those stereotypes."

"Quiet, you," he grumbled with a wry grin. "Anyway, it was our first year here at university. I wanted to rush some fraternities. I didn't have a particular reason for wanting to, and I didn't know anything about any of them. I was just doing it for shits and giggles. Saix didn't want to go, he thought it was stupid, but I made him come with me anyway. It was a blast, but I didn't expect anything to come of it. I mean, I did nothing but make a complete ass of myself, and Saix pretended not to know me while being about as social as a kumquat. So who would waste their time on us? Imagine our surprise when we actually received bids from the Thirteen."

Her eyes widened in realization. "Ah, so the Thirteen is a frat?"

He nodded. "You've heard of us."

"Yeah, from you."

Axel blinked. "When did I…?"

"The night you were wasted. I asked where you lived and you told me the Thirteen. You seemed quite offended when I didn't know what that was, but were determined not to clarify and instead just kept repeating 'the Thirteen' over and over again, as if that would help me magically understand what you were talking about."

Scratching his cheek, he mumbled, "Sorry. I get rather stupid when I'm drunk."

Resting her elbows on the table and propping her chin in both hands, she smirked. "It's cute that you believe it's only when you're drunk."

The corner of his eyes crinkled. "My my, aren't we feisty today."

"I guess you just bring it out in me," she shrugged.

One side of his mouth turned up and he looked at her through half-lidded eyes. "Wonder what other naughty little quirks are just waiting to be drawn out of you."

She resisted the urge to fidget under his predatory gaze, her confidence suddenly abandoning her. Okay, you win this round, bucko. She cleared her throat. "So, why's it called the Thirteen?"

"Its official title is actually Chi Iota Iota Iota."

"Sheesh, someone was a fan of iotas."

"Tell me about it," he snorted. "Sometimes it's just shortened to Chi Iota. But more often we call it the Thirteen because the greek letters look like an X followed by three I's."

"The roman numeral for thirteen," she nodded in understanding.

"Bingo," he tapped a finger to his nose. "So anyway, the Thirteen had taken an interest in us, god knows why, and sent us bids. Now, I had just been rushing for the hell of it and originally had no plans to actually join a frat. But when I received my bid, I figured why the hell not? Again, Saix wasn't interested, but yet again, I pestered and bugged him until bam! We were pledges.

"It was fun at first," he smiled, his eyes unfocused. "The pledging activities were good times, some were kind of weird, but nothing too fucked up. Even Saix reluctantly started to warm up to it all and really give it a chance. We got our big brothers, which are frat members who are sort of like our mentors. Mine was alright, kind of a wank though. As for Saix, his big brother was vice president of the Thirteen at the time and was part of this sort of clique within the frat."

He sighed. "I guess that's when things started to change. He started to become… I don't know, different. It happened little by little and I didn't really catch on until it was too late. He was alway busy, hanging out with me less and less, spending all his time with his big brother and the rest of his gang. I'm not sure why, but he just started getting more… distant. Colder. By the time we had transitioned from pledges to full members, we hardly talked anymore. When the president graduated, the vice pres took over the role and made Saix his VP. By then, he was outright hostile towards me."

Elsa furrowed her brow. "Odd… and you have no idea what brought it on?"

"Not a damn clue. I tried talking to him about it a couple times, but he'd just brush me off with some passive aggressive remark and walk away."

She briefly worried her bottom lip between her teeth. "Maybe it wasn't anything either of you did. Sometimes people just drift apart as they grow older and make new friends. Just the way life goes."

His shoulders slumped. "Yeah, maybe…"

"If Saix and his friends were being such jerks to you, why didn't you just quit the frat?"

"Actually, that group he hangs out with isn't so bad. They just mostly like to keep to themselves. And as a whole, the Thirteen is still pretty good. I've made other friends within it, they're some alright dudes. Plus I like helping out with the pledges. That's how Roxas and I became friends, he's currently a pledge. I volunteered to be his big brother. All in all, the Thirteen is cool."

He scowled. "The only problem really is Saix and whatever his beef is," he scoffed. Then his features softened and he hung his head with a sigh. "I just wish he would talk to me."

She wasn't sure what made her do it. Maybe it was just because his eyes seemed so sad. Maybe it was the almost imperceptible hitch in his voice. Maybe seeing him in any other state besides his usual happy, wisecracking self had thrown her off guard. Whatever it was, it brought Elsa to do something she hadn't done in a long time for another person who wasn't her sister.

She reached out, put her hand on top of his and gave it a soft, comforting squeeze..

He looked at her hand, then up at her and she smiled, "You two will work it out and be friends again. You'll see."

"...you think so? I'm not so sure."

"I know so," she nodded firmly. "Just be the persistent little pest I know you can be and he'll have no choice but to listen."

"Annoy him into talking this out? Heh. Sounds like me." He smirked and shifted his hand so he now held hers in his. "And if he and I can't patch things up, what then? I'll be utterly devastated, I might need some major TLC from someone."

She removed her hand from his with a snort. Back to his old self already. How quickly he flipped that switch. He'd be fine.

"In that case, you could always just get a cat."

* * *

_**Author's Note:** More back story, yay! OrgXIII is a frat, yay! Hmmm, you're prolly wondering about Saix and why he doesn't look like he normally should - he looks more like an amalgam between Saix and Isa. There's a reason, don't worry, just like there's a reason Arlene was named Arlene and not Larxene. All will be revealed in due time, little ones :) Very soon in fact!_

_Fun Facts - Yay, I got more rando-questions to answer from you guys, thank you! That's pretty much the rest of this AN so if you're not interested, you can stop reading here xD Alright, Zodiac Signs! Axel is a fiery, flamboyant, attention whore of a Leo, and Elsa is a cool, aloof, independent Aquarius! It was really hard not to make her birthday the Winter Solstice (which is officially unofficially her bday according to a tweet from the person in charge of the movie) but that wouldn't work for this story for REASONS - plus it was fun to think outside the box. Back to the matter at hand, I really like reading about Leo-Aquarius compatibility - it could either go spectacularly wrong or unbelievably right xD Either way, they always end up having no problems tearing up the bedroom, teehee._

_As for movies, it's hard to narrow it down to even just a few favorites. Elsa loves movies with sassy narration, like **Kiss Kiss Bang Bang** and **Warm Bodies**. She also enjoys musicals, like **Scott Pilgrim vs. The World** , **Into the Woods** , and **Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog** (does that count as a movie? She thinks it does). Axel is a total zombie nut and is a big fan of **Zombieland** , **Shaun of the Dead** , and **Warm Bodies** (oh snap, overlap!). He also likes super hero movies, like **Guardians of the Galaxy** and **V for Vendetta**._

_When it comes to TV Shows, Axel continues the trend of zombie loving and is addicted to **Z-Nation** , **iZombie** , and (duh) **The Walking Dead**. With her busy schedule, Elsa doesn't have much time for watching TV, but she makes an exception for **Brooklyn Nine-Nine** because it is short and beyond hilarious._

_Favorite foods! Elsa likes chocolate, duh! But she also like peppermint and ice cream, so little wonder her favorite ice cream is mint chocolate chip! Also marshmallows! So s'mores are a must for her! Axel likes sea salt ice cream, duh xP But he also likes jalapeño poppers! And cinnamon! He actually has a secret addiction to those little red hots candies and eats them all the time when no one's looking. Also, lately, for some strange, totally unknown reason, he's been having mad cravings for strawberry cheesecake... huh, weird right?  Now for Anna's favorites! (shan't forget that she was included in this question!)  She, like Elsa, loooooves chocolate AND ice cream, but she's more of a rocky road type girl.  And true, she's a fan of ice cream cake, but nothing beats BIRTHDAY CAKE FLAVORED CAKE, which is totally a thing... apparently. Also, let's throw something somewhat wholesome in here, she nevers say no to watermelons._

_Whew! I think that was all your questions, let me know if I missed any! Thanks again guys, you're really awesome for asking! These are so fun, so if you think of any more, do not hesitate to ask!_

_Special thanks and much love to anyone who left comments! Thank you one and all for reading, hoped you liked it, please leave feedback (and silly questions!) and let me know what you think! Until next week!_


	9. Day 8

It was official. Axel seemed to have found a new favorite pastime.

Elsa regarded the folded note from him that had landed on her desk with weary eyes. She knew the question it contained even before she opened it up and read it. This was getting real old, real fast.

But you know what wasn't getting old? Finding new and innovative ways to deal with these little notes.

Now, admittedly, how she decided to handle it today wasn't really that new or innovative, for she simply repeated her actions from the day prior: she passed his note along to the next student over, jerking a thumb over her shoulder to indicate it was from Axel. However there was one minor, but somewhat important detail in the whole situation that had been altered. And what was that, one might wonder?

It was the fact that the student she had handed it off to this time was male.

Axel blanched. Elsa smirked rather deviously. After reading its contents, the recipient of the note frowned and cleared his throat. He did not write a response.

When the lecture came to an end, the boy rose and moved to stand in front of Axel. Elsa closed up her laptop and slid it into her satchel, doing her best to fade into the background and try not to eavesdrop. She failed miserably at the latter.

"You wrote this?" the guy asked haltingly, producing the folded up piece of paper.

Axel eyes shifted between the note and the boy holding it a couple times. Then he shrugged. "Yup."

His forehead creased. "...for me?"

"Well, you _were_ the one it was handed to."

He scrunched up his eyes. "So... you wrote a do-you-like-me note… for me."

His shoulders bobbed once again. "Looks that way, don't it?"

"...you know this is college and not elementary school, right?"

"I'm familiar with the concept, yes."

The guy just eyed him for a second, clearly trying to wrap his head around what was even happening. Finally, he stated, "I only like girls."

The redhead gave him the thumbs up. "Cool, me too."

He blinked. Then he held up the paper again and asked, "So why…?"

He pursed his lips briefly and pondered. Then a sly grin suddenly split his face in two. "What can I say, man? You make me question my sexuality. Boy, you is fine."

Elsa snerked. She did her best to disguise it as a cough as her hand flew to her mouth.

The boy's eyes widened and his cheeks tinted pink. He stammered, "Um, o-okay… thanks... I guess."

"My pleasure, studmuffin." He shot finger guns up at him and winked. The guy just responded with a blank look. Axel then held a fist up to one cheek, pinky extended to his lips, thumb up by his ear, and mouthed the words 'call me.' At this point, the student just awkwardly returned the note to Axel and hastily exited the classroom.

Hiding a smile behind her hand, Elsa asked, "What would you do if he actually called you?"

He shrugged. "Go on a date with him. Wouldn't want him to think I was just leading him on."

* * *

Maybe Axel's brilliant idea wasn't actually so brilliant.

And here he had been thinking the little scheme he had come up with so clever, yet so simple. The only thing it required was "accidentally" forgetting his textbook at home before going to the library. Then what other choice did he have but to snuggle in close to Elsa while they shared her book? Sure, maybe he could have made a quick trip back to the frat house to retrieve his own, but that would have wasted several precious minutes of his valuable studying time. And we couldn't have that, now could we? Darn, guess he would just have to let Elsa invade his personal space so they could work from the same book. Oh, the sacrifices he made for the sake of his education.

Mwahahaha.

But here was the wrinkle he had failed to foresee in his otherwise perfectly crafted little plot: it had somehow slipped his mind just how bloody fantastic she smelled. It was driving him crazy.

To add insult to injury, it seemed their close proximity was having more of an effect on him than it was on her. He had anticipated, nay, _expected_ for the circumstances to get her flustered, stuttering, and blushing furiously. Instead, she calmly reviewed the pages of the textbook and worked on the homework, not even ruffled in the slightest. There hadn't even been so much as an awkward smile from her. No fair.

You know what also wasn't helping? The fact every little thing she did was highly distracting. Didn't matter how trivial or mundane the action was. Even observing just the simple act of her breathing, watching the subtle rise and fall of her chest, was fascinating to him. It got him thinking things like, man, what a great idea it would be to just sweep everything off the table, throw Elsa on top of it and make like a pair of mammals on the Discovery Channel.

Wait, no… no, that would actually be a bad idea.

...but would it really?

Okay, let's settle this by starting a pros and cons list. Pro: He knew for a fact that her lips were sweetness incarnate, a fact that he felt it was high time he be reacquainted with. Con: Chances were good she'd inflict bodily harm upon his person, including but not limited to ripping his eyes out, beating him into a bloody pulp and/or murdering him. Pro: Maybe she'd make those wonderful noises he had delighted in hearing the last time. Con: It was more likely she would scream... and not in a good way. Pro: He would be expressing his feelings for her in only the purest, simplest way he knew how. Would that really be so wrong? Con: Yes, without her consent in that matter, that would indeed be so wrong. In fact, she'd probably never speak to him or have anything to do with him ever again.

He sighed. This just being friends shit was harder than it looked. Maybe Roxas had been right. But Axel would be damned if he admitted that to him! Come on, man, keep it together just for a few more weeks! You're not just some animal blindly following instinct! You're more than a slave to your urges! You're-

Elsa chose that moment to tilt her head to one side as she read, offering him a lovely view of the delicate, tantalizing slope of her neck.

What had he just been thinking about? He couldn't quite remember, not when he was presented with such an exquisite throat in desperate need of hickies and he knew just the teeth for the job. He'd only be too happy to lean in and oblige-

Hold it! No! Bad Axel! Jesus Christ, get a grip, dude. Fucking hormones. He'd thought he'd have outgrown this shit by now.

But he supposed he could understand where the struggle was partly coming from, given that he was fully aware of just how delicious her skin tasted. Like… what had it been, strawberry cheesecake? Yeah, that was it. What was that anyway, some sort of body soap or lotion maybe? Or was it just her natural flavor? This obviously required further investigation. Maybe if he asked her nicely, she would let him nibble on her neck a bit, all in the name of research. His interest was purely scientific, clearly, and who was she to stand in the way of science?

...okay, this was just getting pathetic.

That was it. Time to concede defeat. No way, no how was he going to get any studying done. Not that he normally studied anyway, but in his current state of mind, this was just frustrating to boot. He slid back his chair and stood, stretching an arm over his head as he said, "I'm calling it."

She looked at the time on her phone then up at him. "Oh? Quitting an hour early?"

"Yup. Can't concentrate." She said nothing and seemed to be waiting for him to elaborate. He scratched the back of his head. "...just have a sudden craving for cheesecake."

True enough.

"Ah. I see." She arched an eyebrow at him, then shrugged and returned her eyes to her book. "Have fun with that then."

He frowned as his eyes darted back and forth between her and the textbook. Then he snatched the book up in hand.

"Hey!" she said indignantly. She rose as well and reached for it, but he held it up above his head, well beyond her reach. She crossed her arms over her chest. "Okay, do you plan on giving that back?"

"Depends. Did you plan to keep studying?" he smirked as he lowered his hand, dangling the volume within her grasp.

She made a jump for it, but he lifted it back up before she could get anywhere near it. With a huff, she replied, "Well, duh. Just because you leave doesn't mean I stop studying. The world doesn't revolve around you, despite what you might think."

He feigned shock, splaying a hand across his chest. "I can't believe you would say something so hurtful to me."

"Oh boohoo, now give me back my book."

"Make me."

She narrowed her eyes at him, then flashed a wicked little grin. Uh oh, what was she-

She gently poked a finger into his side, just under his rib cage. The whole left portion of his torso exploded in an intense wave of the gigglies.

...sorry, what was that term? The _gigglies_? Let's pretend the actual phrase used was a manly fit of ticklishness.

Yeah... that didn't sound much better.

In any case, his whole body spasmed and he stumbled backwards, dropping the book. Clasping a defensive hand over the sensitive spot, he panted, "Fuck, how'd you know I was ticklish?"

Still grinning, she retrieved her book and shrugged. "I didn't."

"Oh-ho," he chuckled darkly, "you're going to rue this day, chica."

Elsa seemed unconcerned as she settled back down in her seat. She flipped the book back open as she deadpanned, "I'm shaking, garçon."

That was a thing between them now. They had a thing. He might have enjoyed that tiny little detail more than he cared to admit.

Watching Elsa, Axel's face pinched when he realized she did in fact fully intend to resume her classwork. As soon as she found the page she was looking for, he reached over and slammed the book shut again. Before she could protest, he said, "Come on, take a break. You work way too hard. At least take a minute to stretch, go home and relax for a bit."

"Why? I'm _fine_ ," she insisted, pulling the textbook out from under his grasp. "Besides, I couldn't go home right now even if I wanted to."

"And why not?"

"I don't have my car. I let Anna borrow it for a thing she has tonight. She'll pick me up when she's done in an hour."

"Is that all?" he asked, crossing his arms and leaning a hip against the table. "Alright, then how about this? Take a break. Come get cheesecake with me, or whatever you want. My treat. Then I'll give you a ride home after."

She stared at him a moment, pursing her lips. Then a sigh escaped her. "If I say no, you'll just bug me for the next hour so I don't get any studying done anyway, won't you?"

"Chances are good."

She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Just give me a second to pack my things."

His hands clapped together as he softly cried, "Yay!"

A few minutes later, the pair exited the library into the night air and headed towards the nearest campus parking lot. They walked passed several cars until they came to a stop near a familiar looking motorcycle. Axel got on it, but Elsa hesitated.

"What's wrong?" he asked as he zipped up his jacket.

"I forgot you rode a motorcycle."

"So?" He offered her his helmet with one hand while he used the other to pat the seat behind him. "Hop on. It's perfectly safe."

She eyed him dubiously. "It's not the bike I'm worried about."

He grinned at her and said innocently, "Come on, I don't bite."

"We both know that's not true."

His grin turned a touch feral. "I'll be on my best behavior. Scout's honor," he stated, solemnly holding up three fingers.

Her arms folded across each other. "You? A boy scout? Yeah right."

"...cross my heart and hope to die?" he tried, using a finger to trace an X over the left side of his chest.

"I seriously doubt you even have a heart."

"And what makes you say that?"

She shrugged. "You had to make room for that oversized ego of yours somehow."

Oooh, _burn_.

"Ha ha," he scoffed with a smirk. "Now get on."

She began to take a slow backwards step away from his bike. "Yeah, no, I think-"

A yelp escaped her as he grabbed hold of her hand and yanked her back towards him. Before she even knew what was happening, he'd plopped the helmet onto her head, lifted her up by the waist and sat her down on his bike behind him. All in one smooth motion no less. He then started his bike. "You're gonna want to hold onto me now," he informed her casually as the machine roared to life beneath them.

At first she didn't budge an inch. After a few seconds however, he heard a long, muffled sigh escape from within the helmet, then felt her arms come up from behind him to gingerly wrap around his waist.

He hummed a soft laugh. "Tighter than that."

"I'm good, thanks."

"Suit yourself." He twisted the throttle, the bike jumped forward and they raced off. To Elsa's credit, she didn't cry out in surprise or otherwise make a noise. It just seemed that, after some careful deliberation, she decided to take his advice as Axel felt her arms tighten around him. It felt… nice. He suppressed a small shiver.

They sped along, the the road a blur beneath them as the cool night air toyed with Axel's fiery locks and whipped Elsa's braid around. Ten minutes, six stoplights and several turns down side streets later, Axel slowed the bike and came to a stop next to a curb. Shutting off the engine, he turned his head to look at her out of the corner of his eyes. "There, that wasn't so bad, now was it?"

She dismounted, removing the helmet as she did so. Her hair was slightly mussed and there was some color to her cheeks from the ride. She was smiling at him. It was different from the smiles she normally gave him, which tended to be somewhat reserved. Not that they seemed forced or anything, just guarded. But not this smile. This smile was just… wow.

He realized that her lips were moving but he wasn't hearing any words. Crap. He'd let himself get distracted again.

Brain to ears, do you read? Please respond, over.

Clearing his throat, he said, "Sorry? I couldn't quite hear you over the… traffic."

There was no traffic.

Quirking an eyebrow, Elsa replied, "I said that that was a lot of fun. Actually, I've always kind of wanted to learn to ride a motorcycle, but wasn't sure I'd enjoy it, so I never took the time to find out. Maybe it's time for some lessons however."

He snickered. "You? Riding your own motorcycle? That's cute, princess."

"Shut up." She shoved his helmet into his chest. He grunted, then just laughed harder.

"Alright, alright," he said after finally sobering a bit, "if you really want to learn, how about I teach you a few basics some time? Give you a real feel for it."

She pondered it a few seconds, then smiled again. A cautious, guarded smile. Ugh. "Sure. I'd like that." She then turned to check out where he had brought them. He had parked in front of what appeared to be a cake shop. She cocked her head. "I was wondering where you were planning on getting cheesecake at this hour. This makes sense, though seems a bit random for you. How do you even know about a place like this?"

"I work next door," he said with a shrug as he got up off his motorcycle.

"Oh, you have a job?" she asked, looking around. Axel made no move to point out where he was employed. On either side of the little shop were active looking establishments with people going in and out of them. Though there were streetlamps, none of them cast any light on the signs, so she couldn't make out business names. From their outward appearance, they could have possibly been restaurants. "What do you do?"

He rubbed the nape of his neck. "I'm in entertainment."

"Huh. So, what, like… dinner theater?"

Sure. Let's go with that. "Yup."

He walked towards the entrance to the cake shop and a bell on the door chimed as he opened it for Elsa. She approached it, then stopped when she saw how crowded it was inside. She frowned and hugged herself before taking a step back and muttering, "I think I'll wait out here actually."

Ah yes. People. He nodded in understanding. "What do you want me to get you? Should I make my strawberry cheesecake a double?"

"Sounds good. Thanks."

He nodded again before going inside, pulling the door shut behind him. Elsa sighed, then wandered over to lean against the wall of the cake shop. She pulled out her phone and used it to fill the time while she waited. She didn't notice as a car pulled into the spot next to Axel's bike a minute later.

Cue the _Jaws_ theme music.

The driver side door opened and someone stepped out. Slamming the car door shut, they began to walk towards the cake shop, but upon spotting Elsa, their feet froze. When they resumed their approach, they picked up the pace.

Duuuh-nuh. Duuuuuuuh-nuh. Duh-nuh, duh-nuh, duh-nuh.

"Well, well," a voice barked, startling Elsa. Her eyes shot up to find Steve Abbington standing in front of her. Ever since that day Axel had acquainted his face with his desk, there had been neither hide nor hair of Steve. He had probably taken to hiding in the back row of the classroom. Apparently, his backbone had finally grown back in and he had decided to crawl out from whatever rock he had been lurking under. He gave her a cruel grin. "If it isn't Ella."

Jackass still hadn't learned her name.

She granted him an empty stare before wordlessly returning her attention to her phone screen.

He scowled. "Hey, bitch." Steve had anger management issues. "Haven't you learned by now it's rude to ignore someone who's talking to you?"

Rolling her eyes, she said flatly, "What do you want?"

He snerked. "Cake. Duh," he said in a stunning display of his verbal skills.

"Well, this is a cake shop, so you're on the right track. Bravo."

He curled his lip in a sneer, then took a quick glance around. "Occupying a street corner, I see. Only way a guy will take you, huh?"

She shrugged. "It beats going on a date with you."

His nostrils flared and he stomped towards her. She tensed, looking ready for a fight. At the last second however, he was suddenly jerked to the side and his head collided with the wall next to her. She jumped and blinked at the absurdity of the action, until she spotted Axel's hand planted against the back of Steve's head. The redhead's actions had required little effort on his part, just a slight tug to alter Steve's trajectory. From there, the big guy's momentum had done the rest of the work.

"Steve," Axel chirped brightly, pulling the dazed boy away from the wall. He shifted his hand from the back of his head to instead sling his arm over the other man's shoulders. In his opposite hand, he held a pair of cake slice shaped boxes. "Old buddy, old pal, long time no see! How the heck are ya?"

When the jock didn't give an immediate response, the redhead's eyes drifted to the side of Steve's head and he frowned with a _tsk_. "Still rocking the sideburns? Really? I thought we talked about those, Steve. They just don't suit you, man." He snapped his fingers, a grin slowly spreading across his face. "Unless you really liked the idea of them being set on fire. Then I'd be happy to help you out with that one!"

He felt Steve stiffen as his stupor wore off. A bead of sweat trailed down his temple as he tried to back away, but Axel's arm kept him firmly in place. So he was still scared of Axel. Good. Roxas hadn't been wrong - being a football player, Steve was built like a tank and could easily break Axel like a twig. If he ever realized this, it'd be game over. But until then, it was best to maintain the deranged pyromaniac act as long as he could.

Time to cement it with a healthy dose of good old fashion humiliation. Axel tossed one of the boxes he carried to Elsa, who fumbled to catch it. With a flick of the thumb, he opened the lid of the other one, revealing the confection of sweet, creamy deliciousness contained within.

Fare thee well, you delectable cheesecake you. We hardly knew ye.

He smooshed the dessert against Steve's cheek.

The jock froze as the white goo with strawberry red swirls dripped down to his chin. It seemed that he didn't quite know how to react to what had just happened to him. Elsa had a hand clasped over her mouth. Axel studied his work for a few seconds, then pointed and muttered, "Hey. You got a little something on your face there. Probably should go take care of that."

He removed his arm, finally releasing Steve. The jock slowly blinked once, twice, three times. Several tenuous seconds ticked by. That had been one ballsy move on Axel's part. Risky as hell, and things could go either way at this point. Would his gambit at playing the alpha pay off and send the jock packing with his tail between his legs? Or had Axel finally pushed him far enough to snap and go all rage monster on their asses? He watched, tensed but with a cocky smirk, as if he wasn't waiting for a fight that he sure as hell wasn't going to win.

However, lady luck seemed to be on his side today. A few more seconds, then Steve just stiffly turned and, as if in a trance, walked towards the door and disappeared into the cake shop. Axel silently released a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.

Holy shit, it worked!

Elsa fought to keep a straight face as she said, "Way to waste a perfectly good cheesecake."

His hands went to his hips. "Waste? Psh. That was worth every penny."

He went back inside to purchase another slice and with a shake of her head, Elsa took a seat on the curb next to his motorcycle. He returned shortly bringing his replacement dessert plus a couple of cups of ice water. Handing her one, he sat down next to her, his knee brushing against hers, and dug into his cake with a plastic fork. After the first bite however, he frowned, the fork lingering in his mouth, and released a sigh through his nose.

She raised her eyebrows at him. "Problem?"

"It's just not as good," he muttered, staring down at the pavement.

Her head tilted to the left. "The cheesecake? I like it. Have you tasted better?"

He glanced at her out of the corner of half-lidded eyes. "...something like that."

They were no longer talking about cake, something she evidently picked up on as she looked away. She inserted another forkful into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully, not saying anything for a moment. Finally, she decided to break the silence with, "How long have you had a crush on me?"

His eyes went wide and he choked on his current mouthful of food. He struggled to swallow it down, beating a fist against his chest. Face red and able to breath again, he said, "I thought we went over this already. It's not a crush 'cause I'm not some pre-teen. I'm an _adult_. Adults don't get crushes. Adults..." he scratched a spot behind his ear, "...buy other adults drinks."

One side of her mouth turned upward. "Seems like you're going through an awful lot of work just to buy me a drink."

"Well, I guess I'm just awfully determined."

"...when you were drunk, you called it a crush."

He stabbed his fork into his cheesecake. "Drunk Axel doesn't know what he's talking about."

"Oh? Drunk Axel told me when he first saw me, he thought I was the most beautiful girl on the planet."

Jesus Christ, what a fucking cliché, cornball thing to say. Nevermind that it was true. "Drunk Axel likes to exaggerate." Drunk Axel was _so_ dead.

"So you don't think I'm beautiful?"

He winced. "No, that's... that's not-" he heard her laugh. She was messing with him. Devil woman. "...remind me, what was the original question again?"

She smiled into her cup of water. "How long have you... wanted to buy me a drink?" she amended.

He shrugged. "Maybe a month or two?"

...or thirteen... and three quarters. But hey, who's counting?

She tapped her fork against her lips. "Really? That long?" Honey, you don't even know. "How come you never said anything until now?"

"Heh. You ever try approaching a crush? That shit ain't fucking easy."

"A crush? But you said-"

"I know what I said," he grumbled. "Shush, you."

She bit down on her lower lip, the corners of her mouth rising. Then she sobered somewhat. "Alright, so if you wanted to buy me a drink so badly, what was up with all the girls, ladykiller?"

There was a pause as he gave her a sidelong glance. "Crushes are hard. Hookups… aren't."

"Ah."

"Enough about me. Now it's your turn." He lightly poked her nose with his fork.

She swatted it away. "Me?"

"Yeah, you. So tell me, why didn't it work out with your past beaus?"

"Beaus?" Her brow furrowed.

"You know, beaus." He waved his fork in the air, "Suitors. Gentleman callers, or what have you."

Elsa looked down, narrowing her eyes at her half-eaten dessert. "I told you already. I just never really hit it off with any of them."

"Yeah, but why?" he pressed.

Her shoulders bobbed up and down. "I just didn't."

"I'm gonna need specifics."

"Why?" she snorted.

He smirked. "So I don't make the same mistakes those chumps did."

He'd said it because it was entirely, completely, and one hundred percent true. But if he was being totally honest, he'd also said it in an attempt to make her blush. Mission accomplished.

"...I don't know," she mumbled, one hand rubbing her elbow. "It was never really anything in particular. I guess I would just end up not getting along with the guy or couldn't figure out anything to talk about… I just never clicked with anyone, you know?"

He released a low hum as he scratched his right temple with his fork. "Do you and I click?"

"No. Not even remotely," she deadpanned, fighting a smirk.

He beamed. "Cool. That's what I thought."

She chuckled, picking at her food. "Okay, here's an example. One guy tried to take me dancing."

"The fiend." He snickered as she gave his shoulder a shove. "Alright, what was so wrong with that?"

"I didn't want to dance. But he thought I was just playing coy or something and tried to make me, then got mad when I refused. The date pretty much went downhill from there."

He mulled over that as he took another bite, then asked, "Where did he take you dancing?"

"Some club that was popular at the time. He kept going on about what a big deal it was he got us in, _especially_ after I turned it down." She sighed. "So yeah, just stupid little things like that are why no guy has ever really stuck around passed a first date. I guess I'm just not the easiest to get along with." Snorting softly through her nose, Elsa added, "Besides, who has time for romance when you're a full-time mother."

He spluttered on the sip of water he had just been taking. "You have a kid?!" he wheezed.

"I was talking about Anna."

"Shit, Anna is your _daughter_? Just how old _are_ you? And damn, way to keep it tight, girl!"

"You know what I mean, smartass," she grinned with a shake of her head. "Looking after my sister is a round-the-clock job."

"Oh right. Got it. Your _sister_ ," he used air quotes (an impressive feat, given that his hands were full) and winked, then quickly ducked to avoid Elsa smacking him upside the head. With a laugh, he asked, "Who ever said she needed looking after anyway?"

Gently nibbling on her fork, she didn't respond right away. "...ever since we lost our parents, it's just something I've felt I _needed_ to do. Besides Olaf, I'm all she's got. So I have to be… mature. Responsible. I must do everything I can to make sure she's taken care of. I just always want her to be happy and safe."

"Wow. No wonder you're wound so tightly."

Her eyes snapped up to meet his. "Excuse me?"

"Forget dating. Between your class schedule, the insane amounts of studying you do, and you feeling like you need to take care of your sister, where do you find any time for yourself at all? You take on way too much, chica."

"But Anna needs-"

"What, a mother?" he interjected. "No, she doesn't, not from you anyway. Maybe you haven't noticed, but she's a grown-ass woman at this point. And I don't really know her, but I'd bet my bike that all she really wants is her sister. A friend."

"But who else is going to make sure Anna does her homework and… um... and flosses and eats her... vegetables?" she finished lamely.

"I think your sister's probably old enough to take care of herself."

Setting her now empty cake container aside, she planted her chin in her hand and eyed him lazily. "How would you know? _You're_ not even old enough to take care of yourself."

"Ouch. Harsh," he chuckled, licking his plastic fork after having finished his own food as well. "Look, maybe I'm wrong and just butting my nose in where it doesn't belong. But have you even talked to your sister about this shit? If you haven't, maybe you should."

"...maybe," she conceded.

"Alright. Sweet. Good heart-to-heart we had there." He held up a fist towards her and after a pause, she rolled her eyes and lightly bumped her knuckles against his. Picking up her empty cake box, he rose to his feet. "I'm gonna toss this stuff and hit the head, then I'll take ya home. Cool?"

At her nod, he went back into the shop. She stood, stretching the kinks out of her joints and taking small sips from her water cup. As she drained the last of it a minute later, leaving only the ice, the tinkle of the bell on the door could be heard behind her as someone exited the shop.

She spun around, expecting it to be Axel. Instead, it was a pack of giggling women. Loud and obnoxious, they streamed out onto the sidewalk and headed off, disappearing into the night. As the last one came out, she held open the door for one more person that was not a member of their party. Out walked-

Oh for the love of… seriously? Did this guy not know when to quit?

The door came to a shut behind Steve. Face now clean of the earlier cheesecake assault, he just stood there for a bit and scowled at Elsa. But then he started to say something and she didn't hesitate to turn her back to him so she could walk away. A second later however, his hand snatched her wrist and yanked her back, forcing her to face him once more. It felt like he was trying to wrench her arm out of its socket.

She glared up at him and ground out through grit teeth, "Let go of me."

His grip only tightened painfully. Ignoring her words, he snarled out in a harsh whisper, "Your psychotic boyfriend won't always be around to protect you."

Eyes flashing, she lifted her chin. "What makes you think I need protecting?" she asked coolly. Then without warning, she flung the ice in her cup up and straight into his eyes.

Yelping, he released her and stumbled backwards, one hand flying up to clasp his face. Cursing angrily, he lunged towards her, swinging his other arm in an attempt to hit her. His punches were wild and blind however, making them easy to avoid.

And avoid them she did, at least long enough for her to knee him in the groin.

Steve froze. His mouth opened, but no sound came out. Then he fell over, curling up into the fetal position. And it was in that state that Axel found him when the redhead finally stepped back out of the little cake shop. He stared blankly down at the pathetic, twitching ball that was Steve, then looked up at Elsa.

"Well, damn. I would have helped you take out the trash, but looks like you already took care of it," he smirked.

One corner of her mouth turning up, she dusted her hands together. "Yup. No sweat."

"Well, alright then. Let's roll." He bent over and gave the football player a pitying pat on the shoulder. "Catch ya in class, Steve."

A tiny whimper was his only response.

* * *

_**Author's Note:** So normally I post updates for this story on Wednesdays, but I'm gonna be on a road trip starting tomorrow, so lucky you guys, you got this a day early! Wewt! But next week, back to regular Wednesday schedule xP _

_I really like this chapter. It brings a goofy smile to my face. Probably because Axel (and by extension, Axel's narrator) is a total goober this chapter. Also, with or without her ice powers, Elsa is not defenseless, yo. She can be kind of a badass. Almost starting to take pity on poor Steve... but not really._

_Fun facts - I've gotten a few more questions from you guys, and I just absolutely love it! Thank you so much! Alright, here we go:_

_Favorite musical instruments! I mentioned previously that Elsa enjoys classical music. It's something she listens to when studying. No lyrics, no distractions. Her favorite by far is the cello, as it is a deep and emotional instrument, with the songs giving an ambiance of sorrow. It's lamenting. Given her past, it helps put her at ease and deal with her own emotions. As for Axel, he loves noise, so he LOVES the drums. He likes the rush. The drum is the hardest, and the center piece of a band. Without it, the rhythm would be lost.  
_

_Favorite video games! Alright, Axel is the type of guy you can set pretty much any video game in front of him and he'll play it. But he loves any game that has a PVP mode, like **Halo** , **Team Fortress 2** (favorite character? the pyro, duh xP), and lately has been getting into **Overwatch**. Any game where he can beat your ass silly and prove he's a boss and you're a total newb is good with him (must have been an assassin in another life... who knows? ha I worked it in when I totally failed last week xD) Also, he was briefly but ridiculously addicted to that **Pokemon Go** game. Elsa is not much of a video game player. Not because she doesn't like them, she just doesn't really have the time. It only really happens when Anna drags her away from the books to take a break. She does like games like **Rock Band** though where she can get her singing groove on.  
_

_Favorite books! Oh this one is hard, there are so many good books out there and they are both avid readers! Elsa is a big fan of the book series (wait for iiiiiiiiiit) **A Song of Ice and Fire**! Sorry, I had to do it xD Axel is a huge mythology nerd, believe it or not, especially when it comes to Greek myth. He's a big fan of the myth about Prometheus bringing fire to mankind ;)  
_

_Birthdays! Elsa's birthday is January 21st (in the end, not that far off from the Winter Solstice but eh I've made my peace with it) and Axel's is August 5th.  
_

_Finally, I got a question asking if Elsa had ever, or would she ever, watch porn or read romance novels xD Porn is not really her thing. Anna tricked her into starting one up once by sneaking a porn file onto her laptop and giving it the same name as one of her class lecture videos she had saved. Elsa was... very distraught to say the least, her face feeling rather like Mt_ _Vesuvius erupting. I feel like she hasn't taken a foray into the world of romance novels yet, but maybe if she ever did, she might like what she reads ;) Depending on the book.  
_

_Again, I think that was all of them, but again, let me know if I missed any! And I hope they all make sense, I kind of rushed through all this. Even though I was thinking about these questions all week, I procrastinated like a wank and didn't write them all up until the last minute xD_

_Special thanks and much love to anyone who left comments! Thank you one and all for reading, hoped you liked it, please leave feedback (and silly questions!) and let me know what you think! Until next week!_


	10. Day 10

Elsa looked down at her laptop screen. It was already ten minutes into the lecture, but she had not typed a single thing in yet. She glanced up at the powerpoint projected on the white screen but didn't really read the words. The professor was rattling off information, probably important stuff too, but it was going in one ear and out the other. She just couldn't concentrate. Chewing on her pencil, she eyed the empty seat beside her.

Axel wasn't in class today.

One would think that in his absence, she would be better able to focus on taking notes during the lecturer's presentation. But it seemed that Axel was a distraction even when he wasn't around, possibly even more so. Go figure.

He hadn't said anything yesterday to indicate he wasn't going to be there. It was weird for him to just not show up. Had something happened? Had he gotten into an accident? Smashed his bike into something? Was he hurt?

Where was he?

Her phone vibrated in her pocket, making her jump. Normally, she would have ignored it and checked it at the end of the lecture. However, since she was hardly paying attention anyway, she dug it out and discovered she had received a text message… from Axel!

_Sorry, couldn't make it 2 class 2day. Sick. Some 24hr bug going round the 13. Won't b able 2 study the library l8r either._

So that was it. She breathed a sigh of relief. Obviously, it wasn't good that he was under the weather, but it was better than him being involved in a crash of some sort. Feeling foolish for having let herself worry, she was now ready to give the class her full focus after sending him a quick reply. She had only tapped in a few letters however when her phone buzzed again with another message from him.

_Luckily, I've prepared 4 such circumstances. Look under ur chair ;)_

She quirked an eyebrow at her phone, then furtively glanced up. The teacher's back was to the classroom at the moment as she wrote something on the board. Hesitating for a few heartbeats, Elsa finally bent forward and felt her hand around underneath her chair, ignoring the strange looks a couple students nearby gave her. It took a few seconds, but eventually she felt it - something was taped to the underside of her seat. She pried it loose and sat up straight once more, staring down at what she now held in her hands.

It was a little, folded up piece of paper.

One guess as to what was written inside.

* * *

The Thirteen had a ginormous fraternity house. Towering over its neighboring buildings, it had to be three stories at least. It bore a huge black and white banner down the front, proudly displaying its Greek letters. Its walls were made up of stark white bricks and it was ancient looking. In fact, it almost looked like a miniature castle.

Woah, was that a tower in back?

Yup, pretty sure it was.

The structure gave off an almost ominous vibe as Elsa stared up at it from the sidewalk. She was seriously reconsidering her decision to come here at the moment.

After her final class of the day, with her library study session having been canceled, she had simply driven home. Once in her bedroom, she had dumped her class materials out of her bag and onto her desk, then had gone to her computer with the full intention of doing some online research for the essay she had due in a couple weeks. However, she had instead found herself looking up the location of the Thirteen. A brief internet search and she had the address. Then half an hour of preparation later, she was in her car and on her way to the frat house.

Squashing the major heebie-jeebies vibe she was getting now that she was standing in front of the place, she steeled herself, squared her shoulders, and marched down the path leading to the entrance. She walked up the small set of stairs, stopped in front of the grand double doors and firmly pressed the doorbell.

A minute passed where nothing happened. Surely, someone was home. The place was gigantic, it was probably just taking a bit of time for one of the occupants to get through all of it to reach her. Elsa rubbed her elbow as she waited. Finally, just as she was about to ring it again, she heard the the click of a lock and the left door creaked opened.

The person who greeted her was most certainly not Axel.

He might have been as tall as Axel, but that's about where any sort of similarities ended. He had striking blue eyes and pale blonde hair fashioned short into a Caesar cut. A well-trimmed goatee lined his face. Several silver piercings adorned both his ears, including rings going up the outer rims and a long earring dangling from one lobe.

He seemed to be about to say something as he stepped out and, from the annoyed look on his face, Elsa got the feeling it would have been anything but nice. But he froze upon seeing her, the words dying in his throat as he eyed her up and down. After a moment, he gave her a slow, appreciative nod before crossing his arms and leaning a shoulder against the doorframe. He twisted his head to the side and, with a distinct English accent, called over his shoulder back into the house, "Someone's mail-order bride is here."

Somewhere further in, a faint melody could be heard as someone played a guitar. Or rather, had been playing. At this guy's yell, the music came to an abrupt stop with a twang.

"Uh… excuse me?" Elsa asked, raising an eyebrow. "I am most certainly _not-_ "

"Oh, so you're not already spoken for then, love?" the man asked, flashing her his set of blinding pearly whites. "In that case," with a flick of the wrist, he produced a deck of cards - from where, she didn't have the foggiest - and began shuffling them one-handed, "could you be persuaded to participate in a friendly game of strip poker?"

Was this guy for real? Her eyes shifted from him to the set of cards, then she shook her head rapidly and waved her hands back and forth. "Ah, no thanks, that's quite-"

"No need to be shy, dear. I'll even give you a handicap. Here." Another sleight of hand and the deck vanished once more.

Then he took off his shirt.

He made it a smooth, casual action, as if it were normal and just plain proper etiquette to remove your shirt in front of a stranger at your doorstep, putting your well-defined, muscly chest on display. "That better?" he asked. "Quite a head start I'm giving you, hm?"

Then his pecs started dancing. Elsa just about lost it.

"Tempted now?" He gave her a toothy smirk.

Nope. Not even a little bit.

"A-actually, I'm here to see-"

"What the _fuck_ are you doing, you crumpet-stuffing weirdo?!" a new voice interjected into the conversation. Because apparently Elsa was doomed to not get a word in edgewise.

The voice belonged to a new guy that appeared in the doorway as he gave the Shirtless Wonder a shove. His spiky, dirty blond hair looked like the forbidden love child of a mullet and mohawk. A few stray bangs fell casually into his cyan eyes. He was maybe an inch shorter than the first man and looked leaner. He had a guitar strapped to his back. One could make the educated guess that he was the source of the musical strumming a moment before.

"Language, mate. There's a lady present," the one with a goatee admonished silkily.

"What la-" the other began, then cut himself off when he turned his head and his eyes fell on Elsa. He blinked a couple times, then his lips spread into a cheshire grin. "Well, hello," he purred, stretching out the o-sound. To his housemate, he whispered out of the corner of his mouth, "Dibs."

He rolled his eyes. "Have some class. She's a human being, not an object. Besides," he rammed his shoulder into Mullet Boy's side and muttered, "I saw her first."

"Then you should have called dibs _faster_ ," he hissed, elbowing the other guy in the stomach. Then beaming at Elsa once more, he swung his guitar around to hang in front of him, poised his hands over the strings and leaned in towards her. "So, babycakes, have you ever been with the lead guitarist of a rock band?" He wiggled his eyebrows.

What… was even happening?

"Uh…" was all that came out of her mouth as she took a step back. There were simply no words.

"Speechless, huh?" The musician looked smug as he bent back towards the other guy and murmured behind his hand, "It's the guitar. Chicks totally dig a man with an instrument." His face suddenly turned blank as he stared at his housemate for a second, then he looked away as his lip curled in disgust. "Dude, would you stop?"

"Stop what?" he asked as he looked down at his own chest. His pectorals were still doing the cha-cha with a gusto. "Oh," he chuckled unabashedly. The muscles stilled and he smoothed a hand through his hair. "Forgot."

"Sure. Whatever, man. Now, excuse us," he began, pushing the other guy behind him and taking his guitar in hand once more, "while I serenade Gorgeous here with a love ballad that I composed myself."

He'd only manage to pluck a single string before his friend (if he could be called that) scoffed, "She doesn't want to hear your dismal strumming or your pathetic mewlings."

With a twitch and a scowl, he grumbled, "Oh yeah? Well, she doesn't want to see your ugly buttface either, so get lost!"

Buttface? Really? Wow. College men. So mature.

Crossing his arms over his bare chest, he sighed. "Give it up, mate. You don't stand a chance."

"Pft. I have a better chance than you do."

A cocky half-grin twisted his lips. "Care to put a wager on that?"

"Oh, it's on!" He turned his eyes back on Elsa. "Who are you more likely to hook up with, me or the froo-froo Brit here?" he asked, jerking a thumb towards the man standing beside him.

"Er… n-neither?" she stammered. Or tried to. Her answer was lost as said 'froo-froo Brit' grabbed the guitarist by his still extended thumb and used it to twist his arm around behind him. A surprised yelp of pain escaped him and he started to flail about in a poor attempt to escape.

"Say uncle, you little prat," the one with the goatee commanded calmly as he inspected the fingernails on his free hand.

"Never!" he snarled. "As soon as I break free, I'm gonna kick your sorry-"

"Elsa?"

She jumped at the sound of her name. It had come from yet another person who had decided to join in on the commotion. He was standing behind the first two boys and was short enough to be blocked by them. However, she recognized the spikes of blonde hair peeking out from just beyond their shoulders. What was his name...?

"Roxas?" she ventured.

He bust through between the two men, effectively separating them as he snapped, "Break it up, you guys! What are you trying to do, scare her off?" He scooped the discarded shirt up off the ground and tossed it at its owner. "You! Put your top back on!"

"Hmph. Someone's awfully bossy for a pledge," the tallest one huffed as he slipped his shirt over his head.

The musician laughed and grabbed Roxas in a headlock to give him a noogie. "Yeah. You're lucky we're so fond of you, shortie."

Relief flooded Elsa upon seeing her classmate. Never underestimate the amount of comfort that can be found just by encountering a familiar face. It didn't matter that they had never spoken to each other before. He and Axel seemed to be close friends, which was good enough for her. Besides, he had to be better than these two knuckleheads. At least he was sane.

Or rather, in theory he was. The little french maid outfit he was currently wearing might beg to differ however.

"Get off me," Roxas demanded, breaking free of the stranglehold and giving his housemate a shove. Scratching the back of his head, he faced her once more, then froze at the strange look she was giving him. "What?"

"...what are you wearing?"

His face went beet red. He cleared his throat and self-consciously tugged down on the hem of his very short skirt. "Hazing," he mumbled by way of explanation. She just blinked in response.

Frats were weird.

Clearly eager to change the subject, he asked, "So what are you doing here? Looking for Axel?"

She nodded and began to reply, but the one with the goatee spoke up first. "Hold up. Both you and Axel know this girl?"

"Way to hold out on us," the other one said, punching Roxas in the shoulder.

Wincing and rubbing the fresh sore spot, he said, "She's in a class with us. She and Axel study together a lot."

Realization dawned on the Englishman's face. "Ah-ha. So you're the bird that's got my little bro's knickers all in a twist."

Little bro? Was he talking about Axel? What was… Oh wait, she recalled Axel saying something about this. Little brothers and big brothers were frat terms. Guess that made this guy Axel's big brother. What was the word he had used to describe him again…?

She snapped her fingers as it came to her. "You're the wank."

A beat. Then she clasped her hands over her mouth. First chance she had gotten in the past few minutes to complete a full thought out loud and _that's_ what comes out?

However, he didn't seem offended as he roared with laughter. "Is that what Axel calls me behind my back? Don't worry about it, love, I've been called worse. Still, sounds like I'm going to have to have a chat with my little brother." He cracked his knuckles, then added as an afterthought, "By the way, in polite company, I'm called Luxord."

"And I'm Demyx," Mullet Boy piped up.

"Ah… pleasure to make your acquaintances?" It came out sounding like a question, as if she wasn't quite certain about that statement yet. "So… about Axel…"

"He's up in his room," Roxas said. "I think he's sleeping at the moment. Been sick as a dog all day. Didn't go to any of his classes."

"That's why I'm here. I brought notes from today's lecture that he missed, and the new assignment we got." Now that she thought about it, maybe it was a bit silly for her to come here. Roxas was taking the same class after all, so Axel could have just gotten the classwork from him. Feeling the need to further explain herself, she added hastily, "Plus, I brought some stuff for his cold."

"Well, aren't you just a sweet little angel?" Luxord cooed.

Demyx interlaced his fingers behind his head. "Yeah. Why you wasting your time with a loser like Axel?"

Ignoring their comments with a roll of his eyes, Roxas told her, "Axel should really just be staying in bed right now, the way he's feeling."

"That's fine, can't I just go to his room?"

Roxas closed his eyes and shook his head. "Sorry. Can't."

"See this line?" Demyx pointed at the door threshold beneath their feet. "No non-members passed this point."

Elsa frowned. "Why not?"

Demyx shrugged. "Dunno. New policy this year from the _Superiors_." He said the word mockingly, making it clear that it was anything but a term of respect. "Which really blows. I can't bring all my groupies back here after a gig anymore."

"What groupies?" Roxas deadpanned, earning him a smack in the back of the head from the guitarist.

"Oh. Alright," Elsa said, the disappointment in her own voice surprising her. What did she have to be disappointed about? She would see him next time in class. She began to open up her bag. "I guess... could you just give him a few things for me then?"

"Hold up there, love," Luxord raised a hand to stop her. Then he stroked his chin thoughtfully, his lips forming a roguish smirk. "Perhaps you're just the medicine our ailing boy needs. Come on," he turned and gestured for her to follow him inside.

Roxas looked taken aback. "Wha- but the rules-"

"Bugger the rules!" he scoffed with a wave of the hand. "What the Superiors don't know won't hurt them. Besides, what's life without a little risk? Let's roll the dice and see what comes up. Now be a good lad and scout ahead."

A slow, but fierce smile spread across Roxas's face. He then turned to Elsa to give her a reassuring nod. She answered with an uncertain smile. Was this really okay? She took a deep breath. Best not to think about it too much. Stepping inside the foyer, she watched as Roxas picked up a feather duster that he had left on a nearby bookshelf and ran up a grand staircase leading to the second floor. She did her best to stifle a laugh. That maid outfit was just too ridiculous. And was that hosiery he was wearing?

When he reached the top, his head swiveled from side to side as he looked around, then gave them the all clear by shooting them a thumbs up. Luxord was the next one to go up the stairs, followed closely by Elsa, with Demyx bringing up the rear.

Once they had regrouped, Luxord signaled for them to all keep quiet by bringing a finger to his lips before pointing at Roxas, then pointing down the hall. The shorter boy nodded before running ahead and disappearing around the corner. The remaining three crept slowly after him as stealthily as they could. They were actually quite successful at it too, as not a sound could be heard from any of them.

Not a sound, that is, until Demyx.

Elsa and Luxord backs went rigid as they froze at the first few notes plucked from the musician's guitar. She spun around to gape at him. Then after a few more notes of the melody played, she realized she recognized the tune. She cocked an eyebrow and asked in a hushed tone, "Is that… the _Mission Impossible_ theme song?"

He shrugged and beamed, fingers still dancing over the strings. "Figured we needed some epic sneak music if we wanted to succeed."

Luxord pinched the bridge of his nose and whispered harshly, "You realize that loudly playing sneak music while sneaking around kind of defeats the purpose?"

"Shows what you know," Demyx harrumphed as he continued to play.

He scowled. "If you don't stop, I'll break that fucking thing over that feather-brained skull of yours."

The strings screeched unhappily as he abruptly stopped. He gulped and hugged his guitar protectively to himself.

Giving a curt nod, Luxord turned back around and snuck the rest of the way down the hall, the other two following in now complete silence. He covertly peeped around the corner that Roxas had run down, then beckoned them forward with a hand gesture.

They turned into the new hallway, where Roxas could be found, doing his best to not look suspicious while he dusted a potted plant and stood watch. Closed doors lined the walls on either side of the corridor, each adorned with various decorations and a Roman numeral which, her best guess, would be the room number. The door bearing the number VI, for example, bore a lot of what appeared to be quotes, the most predominant being a large plaque in the middle that simply stated, "We're all mad here."

She had spent less than ten minutes inside this frat house and she already knew it was difficult to find fault with that statement.

Demyx's eyes followed Elsa's gaze to that door, then whispered, "That's Zexion's room. He's a huge book nerd."

Luxord whirled around once more and hissed, "Better than a gormless twit who doesn't know when to keep his bloody trap shut."

"Bite me, Harry Potter," Demyx stuck his tongue out at him. Then his eye twitched and his whole face scrunched up. "Okay, dude, seriously, knock it off. That shit really creeps me out."

"What?" he asked, then looked down at his own chest when his housemate pointed there. The fabric of his shirt shifted about, making it quite clear that his pecs had decided to pick up where they had last left off, now performing something akin to the mambo. He grinned sheepishly as the muscles beneath his shirt settled down. "Sorry, mate. Once they get started, hard to make them stop. Damn things have a mind of their own."

"My my, what do we have here?"

Everyone flinched at the sound of the deep, silvery voice that belonged to none of them. In their distraction, they had all failed to notice when the door bearing the number XI on it had swung open and a man had stepped out. He leaned against the doorframe with his thumbs hooked in his pockets. He had dark blue eyes and ruffled pink hair that was tied back into a low pony tail. One corner of his mouth was turned up mischievously.

Everyone just stared at the newcomer, not one of them daring to speak. "Don't all chime in at once," he chuckled softly, his gaze roving over Elsa from head to toe. He smirked. "Is it just me or do our pledges get prettier and more effeminate every year?"

"Look who's talking," Demyx muttered. He then made a startled choking noise as Roxas shoved his feather duster into the musician's mouth to silence him.

Stepping in front of Elsa, Luxord said casually, "Nothing to see here. Nothing at all. You're just high on your poppies. Now go back into your room and-"

"Relax, your secret's safe with me," he brushed him off. "I have no reason to snitch to the Superiors. But whatever you plan to do with her, better make it quick. Wouldn't want Saix to catch you smuggling her in here. Or worse, Xaldin."

All the boys shared a collective shudder, and she got the feeling she really did not want to bump into this Xaldin person.

"And what's your name, Lovely?" the newcomer asked, bending down towards her and offering her a rose.

She blinked at the flower. Where had that come from? And what kind of person just kept roses at hand, ready to gift to random girls? Accepting it reluctantly, she answered, "Elsa."

"Enchanté, Mademoiselle," he murmured, taking her hand in his to place a delicate kiss on the back of it. "I am Marluxia, though you may call me Marly."

She blinked a second time.

Okay, first of all... Marly? Wasn't that the name of the guy Axel had said he could set her up with back when he had first found out she had never had a boyfriend? She recalled him mentioning the pink hair, so it had to be. But why this guy? No offense, but he seemed like a bit of a tool.

Second of all, what was up with everyone's name here? Luxord and Demyx? Roxas and Saix? Zexion, Xaldin, and now Marluxia? When she had first learned Axel's name, she had thought it a bit odd, but comparing it now to the names of his frat brothers, his almost sounded normal.

Her train of thought was broken when she heard Roxas say, "Um… guys?" Everyone turned to find him peeking around the corner of the hall they had come from. He looked back at them, eyes anxious as he whispered through grit teeth, "Saix's coming."

"Welp, that's my cue," was all Marly said before retreating back into his room, shutting the door swiftly behind him.

Rolling his eyes, Luxord commanded, "Roxas, Demyx, go stall him."

Roxas nodded and dashed around the corner. Demyx was less quick to react as as he indignantly placed his hands on his hips. "Why do I have to? I'm not just some pledge you can boss around and-"

"Just _go!_ "

"Alright, I'm going, I'm going," he huffed before following after Roxas.

Luxord snatched up Elsa's wrist and rushed down the corridor. Her feet stumbled as she had little choice but to be dragged along behind him. She did however take the opportunity to toss the rose. They came to a stop in front of door bearing the number VIII on it. He rapped a fist against the wood and called as quietly as he could while still trying to be heard through the door, "Rise and shine, sleepyhead!"

A long, pained groan could be heard from within the room on the other side, followed by a loud _thump!_ Had he just fallen out of bed and onto the floor? Then a voice that she recognized as belonging to Axel responded sluggishly, "Whaddya want?"

"Special delivery!" was the only answer Luxord gave him.

"Go away, I don't feel like dealing with your bullshit today," his voice grumbled back.

The Englishman sounded positively giddy as he responded, "Trust me, you're going to want to come to the door for this. Don't say your big brother never did anything for you." Then he looked down at Elsa and a devilish smirk spread across his face as he added, "And make sure to put some pants on this time. No one wants to see that scrawny little toadstool you call a prick."

"Fuck you!" More crashing and banging could be heard from within the room.

Seemingly satisfied, Luxord winked at her before running down the hall in the direction the others had gone, cackling maniacally as he too vanished around the corner. Elsa watched him go with wide eyes.

What had she gotten herself into?

The stomping of approaching footsteps could now be heard from the other side of the door. Then there was the click of a lock unlatching before the door swung open, revealing Axel. A very angry, very shirtless Axel in low hanging pyjama pants patterned with little cartoon flameballs bearing tiny happy faces.

"I'm gonna shove my foot so far up your ass, you'll-" he spat out into the hall, then stopped when he realized there was no one eye-level with him. Making a bewildered noise, he looked down and finally spotted her. His face went blank. "Elsa? What are you-"

"Saix! Old chum!" Luxord's voice echoed loudly from down the hall. "Just the man I wanted to see! Have I shown you my latest card trick?"

"Shit," Axel mumbled, then grabbed Elsa's hand and yanked her into his room, slamming the door shut behind them.

He spun around and leaned his back against the door, pressing his ear to it as well to listen for any movement out in the hallway. He had instinctively hugged Elsa to him, one arm wrapped around her shoulders, the other holding her head against his chest. His very firm, very bare chest. She felt a blush creeping up her neck as she listened to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat against her cheek. He smelled of sweat, with the faint but familiar underlying scent of cinnamon. Why did he always smell like cinnamon anyway?

They stayed that way for a moment as Axel continued to listen. When it seemed he finally felt confident that no one was going to come breaking down his door looking for intruders, he released a breath he had been holding and she felt his whole body relax. Then he became aware that he was still holding onto her. She could have sworn she heard his heartbeat quicken in the split second before he released her and they separated. Or maybe she was just projecting?

"How... did you get up here?" he asked after a pause, his eyebrows knitting together.

"You know, I'm actually not fully sure of that myself," she said slowly. At the questioning tilt of his head, she went on, "Well, it's all just sort of a muddled blur… between Roxas wearing a French maid outfit, Demyx providing us a stealth theme song, Luxord taking off his shirt and making his man boobs do the tango-"

"He did _what_?!" he snarled. Pounding a fist into the palm of his other hand, he growled, "That douchey, perverted English dandy. When I get my hands on him-"

"Don't get too mad at him. After all, he was a big help in getting me here."

He still looked a little miffed, but he apparently decided to let it drop for now. "...why are you here anyway?"

She smiled at him as if the answer should be obvious. "I wanted to check up on you, of course."

He blinked. "Really?" He rubbed the nape of his neck and muttered, "You're gonna get sick."

"No, I won't. I don't get colds. Strong immune system," she chirped brightly. "So, how are you feeling?"

"Like crap," he stated bluntly, lumbering past her. His room was a mess, with clothes and crumpled up papers strewn about the floor. Most of his furniture was covered in junk, and his walls and ceiling were plastered with posters depicting motorcycles and bands that Elsa hadn't heard of. When he reached his bed, he shoved what looked to be a chubby Cthulhu plushie off it and onto the rug, then turned and fell backwards onto the mattress, arms splayed out to either side of him.

She traversed the obstacle course that was his floor, careful to avoid stepping on anything as she walked over to stand in front of him. "Sit up."

He grunted and, with what appeared to be a great effort, he did as he was told. Even with him sitting down, she was barely an inch taller than him. She reached a hand out towards him and he leaned away from it, raising an eyebrow at her. "What are you doing?"

"What's it look like, you spaz? I'm trying to see if you have a fever. Now come here." She stretched out her hand. He hesitated for a beat, then hunched forward once more, pushing his forehead into her palm. She frowned, "Jeez, you're burning up."

He chuckled tiredly and murmured, "Are you saying you think I'm hot?"

She rolled her eyes and said, "In your dreams." She began to withdraw her hand, but then his own shot up to hold hers in place. A startled sound of confusion emitted from her throat.

"Your fingers are cold. It feels nice," he explained softly, closing his eyes. He kept her hand pressed to his brow for a few seconds more, then moved it to the side of his neck.

...okay?

He held her hand at its new location for a minute, seemingly content. Then he moved it to his chest.

Aaaaand that's enough of that.

She wrenched her hand free. Axel pouted slightly, but didn't otherwise protest. She cleared her throat, then asked, "Have you been able to get much rest today?"

He shook his head. "Not really. Spent most of my morning hugging a toilet. Tried to sleep after that, but haven't really been able to pass out for more than a few minutes at a time."

She opened up her bag and began to shift the items around inside it, looking for something. "Have you been able to eat anything? How's your stomach now?"

"Angry. Seems to have settled, but it still hurts."

"This should help with that." She pulled a bottle of cold medicine out of her pack. Eyes still scanning the contents of her bag, she offered the bottle to him without looking up. He took it, squinting at its logo for a second, then unscrewed the cap. "That stuff's pretty potent. You should only drink a small-"

Elsa words died on her tongue as she glanced up to see him chugging the medicine straight from the bottle. Wiping his mouth on his arm, he asked, "What?"

She stared blankly at him in silence. Finally, she muttered, "Nevermind." She took it back and after a quick peek at the label to make sure an overdose wasn't going to kill him, she returned it to her bag. Next she pulled out a giant thermos. "This is soup. For later when your stomach can handle it. It's good stuff."

Scratching his cheek, he said, "I've never felt so taken care of before." He accepted the proffered thermos, making a space for it on his cluttered nightstand before putting it down. "You shouldn't have."

She beamed at him before reaching into her satchel one more time, producing a textbook, her laptop, and a small stack of papers. "I also brought the notes from today's class and the assignment you missed."

His eyelids drooped. "You shouldn't have," he repeated flatly. "You really, _really_ shouldn't have."

"Quit griping, you'll thank me later," she laughed, handing him the papers that consisted of the homework.

Sighing, he took them. He narrowed his eyes at the text written on the top sheet, bringing it close to his face. Then he opened his nightstand drawer and rummaged around in it before pulling something out. Elsa didn't get a good look at what it was until he had perched it atop the bridge of his nose.

She blinked. "...are those... glasses?"

He froze, eyes wide behind the items in question. Then in a blur of movement, he snatched them off his face and hid them behind his back. "Nope. They're, ah... little windows for the miniature house that is my skull. So that the tiny people that live in my head can see out."

"They _are_ glasses. You need glasses!" She leaned to one side, trying to look behind him.

He twisted his body to block her view. "Nu uh. You're seeing things. So clearly, _you're_ the one who needs glasses."

"Come on, put them back on."

"Put what back on?" he asked innocently. She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him. He sighed, "Fine." He grudgingly brought them forward and slid them onto his face.

The lenses were small and rectangular and held in a glossy black plastic frame. She didn't know why he was being so self-conscious about them. He looked nice. Hell, he looked better than nice. He looked like he should have been modeling them, in all his shirtless glory, on the cover of some sort of bifocal monthly magazine. The eyewear probably would have sold like hotcakes. They made him look… intellectual. Telling him that would probably just piss him off though given how touchy about them he was being, so instead she just smiled and opted for, "They look good on you."

He gave her a doubtful look, then rubbed his shoulder. "If you say so."

She shook her head. "How did I not know you wore glasses?"

"Because I don't wear glasses. I wear contacts," he replied. "These relics don't leave my room. I just use them if don't have the patience for poking little bits of chemically-soaked plastic into my eyes."

She nodded. "How bad is your sight, anyway? Can I see?" she asked, reaching out for them.

He eyed her hand for a few seconds. Then he pursed his lips as he took the glasses off once more and gave them to her. Putting them on, the room instantly became a blur of colors around her. She squinted, wrinkling her nose. "Wow. So this is what Axel-vision is like. I half expected them to be X-ray specs," she teased.

When he didn't respond, she shifted her gaze to him, the room seeming to twirl a bit with the motion. He was just staring at her. He blinked, then averted his gaze. "Take them off."

Her head tilted slightly to the left. "Why? Don't like how they look on me?"

"...quite the opposite, actually," he answered, his voice unnaturally gruff.

Her stomach did a little somersault.

It's a sad day when you realize your stomach is more athletic than you are.

Clearing her throat, she hastily removed them and handed them back to him. She watched as he set them aside on the nightstand and she arched an eyebrow. "Didn't you take those out to read the homework?"

"Yah, but that's not happening," Axel said as he flopped back down onto his mattress. "Head hurts too much. Feels like King Kong has been tap dancing on my brain."

"Now there's an image."

"Tell me about it," he grumbled, pressing a palm into one eye. "Can't concentrate enough to read the words."

She smiled sympathetically. "That medicine you drank should help with that once it kicks in."

As he stared up at the ceiling, one side of his lips slowly twitched upward. "In the meantime, I suppose you could just read for me."

A crease formed between her eyebrows as she flatly asked, "What?"

Propping himself up on his elbows, he said, "Yeah. Read it all out loud to me. You want me to study, don't you?"

" _All_ of it? But it's not just the assignment instructions. There's also my notes from class, plus we need to read chapter thirty-one."

"So? I've got no place to be, and I know for a fact you don't, Miss Study-Aholic. Come on, you came here to take care of me, didn't you?"

"That's not-" she clamped her teeth down on her words, pressing her lips into a thin line. Then she looked around the room for a chair. If there was one, it had long ago been devoured by the chaos and disorder that covered his room. "Where would I even sit?"

He promptly scooched over and patted his hand on the space he had made on his double sized mattress.

She snorted. "No."

"Aw, why not? What's the problem?" He looked down at himself. "Is it the lack of shirt? I can fix that." He reached a hand down to the floor on the other side of his bed and retrieved a shirt at random from the mess, putting it on. "There. The beasts have been caged."

She raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, the beasts?"

"You know. Thang One and Thang Two," he pointed first at his left pectoral, then at the right one.

Elsa slapped her forehead. "That statement just made me lose all respect for you."

"Woah." His eyebrows shot up. "You had respect for me in the first place?"

"I know, it came as a shock to me too."

"Come on, _please_?" He begged, drawing the word out and giving her puppy-dog eyes.

She rubbed her mouth with the back of her hand, hiding the smile that was forming. "Fine," she sighed. She gathered the class materials and primly took a seat beside him on the bed, determinedly ignoring the huge grin on his face. As she took the assignment papers in hand, a soft chuckle hummed in her throat.

"What's so funny?" Axel asked.

Not looking up, she replied. "Nothing, really. Just musing that I might be the first girl who will remain fully clothed the entire time I'm in this bed."

"You'd be surprised." He flashed a toothy smirk before bending down close to her ear. His breath tickled as he spoke, making her shiver involuntarily. "Getting naked is great and all, but is not necessarily required in order to... take pleasure in another's company. For starters, there's-"

Her hands flew up to cover her ears as she felt heat rise to her cheeks. "I'm not hearing this. La la la!"

He chuckled, giving her back her space as he slouched down and used his arms to cushion his head. "Oh, my sweet summer child. Your innocence is precious."

Elsa gave a soft harrumph, "Whatever. Can we please just study now?"

"By all means," he allowed with a wave of his hand. In a light singsong, he added, "You're the one who brought it up though."

She cast a pointed look in his direction. "Don't think I won't kick your ass just because you're sick, funny boy."

He bit back a laugh and threw up his hands in surrender. Nodding firmly, she flipped through the pages of her textbook until she found the chapter she needed and began to read the text aloud.

Reading aloud is an activity that requires patience, focus, and no shortness of breath. Luckily for Elsa, this wasn't her first rodeo. When she was younger, she had grown up with Anna crawling into her bed practically every night, dragging along some children's book with her that was often bigger than she was, demanding her older sister read it to her. Nightly story time had continued long after Anna was old enough to read them to herself, as well as long after their parents had passed away. Perhaps they had continued so long _because_ of their parents' passing.

In any case, Elsa had plenty of experience when it came to reading to another. Admittedly, a college textbook was not nearly as fun as a children's storybook. And the pictures were fewer and far less interesting. Still, she found that reading to Axel was not so different from reading to Anna.

...she really needed to stop comparing Axel to her little sister.

Fifteen minutes into the chapter, she looked up from the book to see the redhead's eyes closed. She frowned, then whispered, "Hey." No response. She poked him in the nose and repeated a little louder, "Hey."

"Hm?" he grunted, one eye cracking open.

"Are you sleeping?"

He yawned. "Nah, just resting my eyes," he replied groggily before letting his eyelid fall shut again.

She snorted, "Oh no. I know what that means. Stay awake. I'm not doing this if you're just gonna fall asleep." She poked him in the nose again. "Come on, Axel, I-"

"Lea."

Her brow furrowed. "Excuse me?"

"My name. It's Lea," he murmured, still "resting" his eyes.

She blinked. "Is your fever making you delusional, silly? Your name is Axel."

"That's just the name the Thirteen gave me," he yawned again. "It's a stupid frat thing, we all get one. My real name is Lea."

Huh. Guess that explained what the deal was with all the strange names here. Not sure what exactly she was supposed to do with her newfound knowledge, she simply said, "Okay… Lea."

One corner of his mouth shifted up. Then he rolled over and curled up at her side, hugging her knees to his chest and resting his head in her lap. "Keep reading," he requested, his words tired and faint. "I like the sound of your voice."

Her heart skipped a beat and her cheeks felt warm enough to roast marshmallows on. It made her feel ridiculous, but she couldn't help it. Here he was, cuddling up with her like a freaking puppy. A puppy that was too big for its own good.

Hadn't he said something about not sleeping well? Maybe that combined with the medicine finally kicking in had made him lose any sense of boundaries and not fully aware of his own actions.

Then again, maybe the little flirt knew _exactly_ what he was doing.

She stared down at him for a second, massaging the side of her neck with one hand. Finally, she just shook her head as a tiny smile ghosted over her lips. She'd let it slide. This time. Lifting the book back up, she began reading again where she had left off.

* * *

It wasn't until several hours later that she roused him, and only because her legs were cramping up from not moving for so long. With the help of Roxas (no longer in the maid uniform, sadly), they snuck her out of the building so she could retrieve her car and drive home.

Axel sighed as he returned to his room, the door clicking shut behind him as he made a beeline for his bed. Some of his appetite had returned to him, so he picked up the thermos Elsa had left behind for him before he crashlanded onto the mattress. The soup was good and he was pleasantly surprised to find it still warm. As he swallowed it down, he looked at the assignment papers still spread out on the other side of his bed. He still had no idea what the homework was. As he picked the sheets up, something fell out from between them.

It was a little folded up piece of paper that looked very familiar. Intrigued, he retrieved it and opened it up. As he had guessed, it was the note he had taped to the bottom of Elsa's chair, with the usual question and the usual yes/no checkboxes. However, a third checkbox had been added. Written beside it in Elsa's neat handwriting was:

_I guess I don't find you completely repugnant._

This box had a checkmark in it.

He snorted as his head fell back into his pillow. "Cheater. That wasn't one of the choices."

* * *

_**Author's Note:** Okay, this was one of my favorite chapters to write. Like, ever. Demyx and Luxord were so fun. And really, they came out of left field. Yes, I knew I was going to use them this chapter, but their scene was only supposed to be like 500 words long. But somehow they just... kept going xD Apparently they had a lot of buffoonery to get out of their system!_

_Fun Facts - Thank you so much again for sending in your questions, they make me do a lil happy dance. Keep them coming! Alright, here goes:_

_Things they do on rainy days! The rain depresses Axel. He'll often skip class when it's raining and just sleep all day. Elsa will stay in bed on a rainy day too, but for different reasons. She likes the sound of it. She'll just listen to it, cozy in bed, drinking hot cocoa, and eventually settle in for a movie or binge watching some TV show with Anna (if her studying is all done, of course)._

_Ages! As of this chapter, Elsa is 21, Axel is 24 (yup and still in college. He keeps switching up his major, the indecisive little shit), and both Roxas and Anna are 18._

_Xion! Sorry no, Xion is not in this story, mainly because when I was plotting it I hadn't played 358/2 Days yet so I didn't know much about her. I have played it by now and would love to find a way to include her, and if the opportunity arises to find a good place to slip her in, I will! But as of right this moment, there are no plans, sorry! If I ever write a sequel to this story (there have been musings), she will DEFINITELY be in that._

_Alright, that's it for now! Special thanks and much love to everyone who showed support for my little story! Thank you one and all for reading, hoped you liked it, please leave feedback (and silly questions!) and let me know what you think! Until next week!_


	11. Day 13

"Hey man, hold the door!"

Roxas jerked his head around at the sound of Axel's voice. Upon seeing the redhead jogging up holding two steaming to-go cups, he immediately obliged. Axel nodded his gratitude as he slipped through the open door leading into the classroom.

The blond followed him inside, inhaling the strong aroma that now filled the air. "Coffee? For me?" His face brightened as he reached for one of the cups. "You never get me coffee."

"Huh. Is that so? Welp, fun fact: I still haven't," He smirked as he lifted it over his head and out of his friend's reach.

Pouting, he asked, "Then why do you have two?"

He grinned. "My hands were cold." Narrowly avoiding getting smacked, he laughed, "Watch it, carrying beverages hotter than the fires of Mount Doom here. And if you must know, the second one is for my lady friend." He pointed his chin towards Elsa, seated in her usual chair.

Roxas rolled his eyes. "Fine then, give me yours. You owe me."

"Pft," his lip curled. "Owe you. Right. Owe you for what?"

"For starters, I get you coffee all the time."

"You're a pledge. That's your job."

He crossed his arms. "Alright. How about for helping sneak Elsa into the Thirteen?" He ticked off one finger, then raised another. "Or helping you sneak her out afterwards? Or for distracting Saix so you didn't get caught? Then there's-"

"Okay, okay, I get it," Axel huffed. "I owe you a coffee."

"Dude, you owe me, like, seventy-one coffees."

Both eyebrows shot up his forehead. " _Seventy-one?_ First off, do I look like I'm made of munny? And secondly, that is one oddly specific number."

Grinning, he shrugged and pointed at one of the cups. "After you give me yours, that'll make it a nice even seventy."

He raised the one he held in his right hand. "Oh, this? You want _this_ coffee? Okay. Sure." He held it out to him. When Roxas moved to take it however, Axel yanked it back and stuck his tongue into the opening in the lid, thoroughly wriggling it about inside. He then offered it again with a smirk. "Here ya go."

The shorter boy scowled. "Real mature."

He asked innocently, "What? Don't you still want it?" He hunched forward and whispered behind one cup, "If you drink from it, it'll be like we're kissing."

"Ugh, whatever, keep it," he scoffed before turning and stomping over to his seat in the back row. Axel just chuckled to himself as he made his way to the front of the class.

"Hey, chica," he greeted Elsa as he came up beside her. She was absentmindedly fiddling with her braid, engrossed in some booklet that lay open in her lap.

"Garçon," she acknowledged, looking up from her reading just as he presented the to-go cup to her. Blinking, she accepted it. "Living up to your title today, I see."

"I aim to please," he said brightly, plopping down in the seat beside her as he took a sip from his own. "Just wanted to show my thanks for you taking such good care of me the other day."

"Oh." Her fingers played with the coffee sleeve wrapped around the cup. "You didn't have to, but… thanks, Axel," she smiled softly. She was still calling him by the name his frat had given him. Calling him Lea just felt weird. Besides, she wasn't even sure he would remember telling her, since he didn't correct her. "What flavor is it?" she asked, bringing it to her nose to smell it, stopping when she noticed something resting on top of the lid: a folded piece of paper. She clasped the now all too familiar item between her fingertips and held it up, quirking an eyebrow at him.

He simply grinned, making no comment on the note itself. "You'll just have to try it and find out."

Shaking her head, she set the note down on her flip-up desk before taking a slow, cautious sip of her drink. She hummed appreciatively before pulling the cup away. "How'd you know I'd like peppermint?"

Looking pleased, he shrugged. "Just a hunch."

"Are you a big coffee drinker?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm an addict. I'm usually a zombie in the morning unless I've had a cup or two."

She cocked her head to one side. "Really? I think this is the first time I've seen you drink any."

"Oh?" He scratched the back of his head and took a long drink from his cup. "...guess I just haven't needed the extra boost to wake up the past couple of weeks. So, whatcha reading?" He asked hastily, pointing at her booklet.

Showing him the cover, she replied, "It's the list of courses being offered next semester. What you said last week got me thinking. You made a lot of really good points."

"What can I say? I am a very sage, insightful, and all-knowing individual."

She snorted. "Do you have any idea what I'm even talking about?"

"Not a clue," he smirked. "But then again, I'm a constant source of brilliance and wisdom, so it's hard to keep track of all the awesome shit I say."

Rolling her eyes, she said, "I'm referring to when you asked me what I wanted to do with my life, whether my future really is Arendelle Ice or if there is something else out there for me. Now I'm not saying I'm completely abandoning the notion of following in my parents' footsteps. Far from it. But it's nice to explore options. So I'm seeing what classes look interesting, regardless of if they have anything to do with my major or not." With a shrug, she re-opened the catalog to somewhere in the middle of the extensive list of available classes. "I know it's no ground shattering epiphany or anything, but at least it's a start."

"Hey, good for you." He leaned in close beside her, scanning the contents of the booklet over her shoulder for a few seconds. Then he reached a hand out for it. "May I?" At her nod, he took it and started flipping through the pages. "Anything leaping out at you?"

"Not yet," she replied, taking another swig of her caffeinated beverage before putting it down on her desk and picking up Axel's note once more. She studied it as she turned it over in her fingers a couple times, then began unfolding it as she went on, "But I'd only been looking for a minute before you showed up."

His head bobbed once as he continued leafing through the catalog. He spared a brief glance in her direction and noticed she was closing his note back up, but in a different way. It involved a lot more folds. Like, a _lot_ more. Intrigued, he asked, "You know Origami?"

Focused on adding another crease to the paper, she teased, "Now where would you get a silly idea like that?"

Axel snorted and returned his attention to the booklet. Smiling, he jabbed a finger to one of the pages and showed her. "You should take that one."

Looking up from her work, she read the title of the course he was pointing at. Then she stared up at him, eyelids drooped and one eyebrow raised. "How to Win a Beauty Pageant?"

He nodded his head rapidly. "Uh-huh."

"Hm. Well, while it does sound, ah… educational," she supplied, looking down as she resumed her project, "and it's certainly a… field I'm not very knowledgeable about, I'm just not sure if it's something I'd really want to pursue."

"But," he held up an index finger, "you're missing one very important detail that I'm sure will change your mind."

"And what would that be?"

"I'm enrolled in that class next semester, so we could take it together!"

Her fingers froze mid-crease as she blinked up at him. "You?"

"Yeah, me. What, don't think I'm Miss America material?"

Elsa bit back a laugh. "Actually, it's almost disturbing how easy it is to picture you with a sash over your shoulder, wearing a sparkling tiara and doing a little princess wave."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"You should. Honestly, I don't think you need any help winning pageants."

"Cuz I'm pretty?" he chirped.

"The prettiest," she deadpanned without missing a beat.

He beamed. "Aw, thanks! So, what do ya say? You. Me. Next semester. Learning how to take the beauty contest world by storm."

The corners of her eyes crinkled. "I'll think about it."

The lecturer called the classroom to order and the student chatter died down as she began. Elsa continued to bend and shape the paper, stopping briefly every now and then to tap a few notes from the professor into her laptop. Axel paid no attention to the lecture whatsoever as he continued to flip through the catalog, using a pencil to circle and mark any further suggestions he had for her.

Ten minutes into class, Axel's attention was drawn away from the list of courses when Elsa returned his note to him by planting it on his desk. Closing the booklet, he picked it up. From all outward appearances, it seemed she had just folded back into the same simple square it had been in previously. However, when he opened it, an intricate shape popped out at him. It was comprised of three circles stacked on top of each other, with lines sticking out of either side like arms, and what appeared to be a stovepipe hat on the top.

That's right. She'd taken his note and used it to build a freaking snowman.

* * *

Axel kept glancing up at Elsa.

Elsa kept glancing over at a guy on the other side of the library who was currently engaged in conversation with a girl.

Why did she keep looking at him? That was a good question, because it certainly didn't seem like there was much to look at. He had puke green eyes and hair the color of rotting cherries. He was gangly, splotchy faced, and had sideburns. Fucking _sideburns_. Dude, the '70s called, they want their facial hair back. He also had a huge nose, tiny feet, hair sticking out of his ears, a shiny bald spot, walked with a limp, and sported a huge hump on his back.

...there was a small chance that those last few details were nowhere near accurate. And okay, there was a remote possibility that Axel was feeling the slightest hints of jealousy. And maybe, just maybe, it was giving him the inkling to grunt and beat his chest and snap pencils in half in a manly display of strength, dominance and testosterone.

However, as productive and excellent of an idea as that all sounded, he suppressed the urge and instead asked, "Whatcha looking at?"

"Hm?" Elsa hummed distractedly. She slowly dragged her eyes away from the man, directing her gaze at Axel. Then she blinked and looked down at her textbook. "Oh. It's nothing."

"Really?" He propped his elbow against the table and rested his chin in his palm. "Nothing looks an awful lot like some dude chatting up some chick."

She frowned as her attention returned to the male student. "...he does look like he's chatting her up, doesn't he?"

"Would that be a problem?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed. Then she gnawed her lower lip, seemingly less sure of herself. "...no… maybe? I don't know, it's just that… Does that look like Hans to you?"

He stared at her blankly. "What the fuck is a Hans?"

She snerked. "It's the name of Anna's boyfriend."

Oh...

_Oh!_

...wait... did that mean that Elsa had the hots for her sister's boyfriend? Honey, why are you going after boys who are already spoken for when you have a single, able, extremely willing, and might I add one hella fine specimen of a man right in front of you?

"Ah." He rubbed the nape of his neck and shrugged. "I wouldn't know, I've never met the guy."

"You haven't?" Her head tipped to one side as she tapped a finger to her chin. "Hm. Yeah, I guess you wouldn't have. I've really only met him once or twice myself, actually. Which is why I'm trying to figure out if that's him. Because if it is, and if he's two-timing on Anna…" she trailed off, glaring daggers at the man's back and cracking her knuckles.

Click. Realization dawned. "Oh, so _that's_ why you were staring at him."

Her brow furrowed. "Well yeah, why else would I be?"

"I thought maybe you wanted to hit that like the fist of an angry god."

"What?!" she spluttered. "No! Absolutely not! That's my sister's boyfriend, I'd never even think about doing anything like that to her. Besides, did you see those ridiculous sideburns?" Her nose wrinkled. "Ew. Gross."

Glad we're all on the same page here when it comes to sideburns.

"Guess there's no accounting for taste," he chuckled.

"No kidding," she shook her head.

"In any case, you probably got nothing to worry about. That guy might not even be Hans."

"I'm pretty sure it is." She looked at the boy's back again, narrowing her eyes as he said something that made the girl giggle.

Taking another look at the dude in question, Axel stopped and squinted. Actually… he _did_ look kind of familiar. And come to think of it, the name Hans sort of rang a bell. But where from?

Shaking the thought from his mind, Axel waved her words off. "Okay, so what if it is? Maybe that's just a friend he's talking to, or a classmate that he's working on a project with. Who says he's flirting with her?"

"You did. About one minute ago."

"Okay, point," he grumbled, raking his fingers through his hair. "But even if he is flirting, it doesn't mean it's going anywhere. It's most likely harmless."

She pursed her lips doubtfully for a few seconds. Then she relaxed with a sigh. "I suppose you're right. I'm probably just going into overprotective-older-sister mode. I'll try not to jump to conclusions for now, and I'll resist this very tempting urge to gouge his eyeballs out with my thumbs."

Wow, violent much? Mental note: don't get on Elsa's bad side, especially when her little sister is involved. "Good call. Anna probably likes her boyfriend having eyes." He folded his arms together as he leaned his chair back, balancing it on its two hind legs. "You just gotta remember, us guys can be like that sometimes. We're stupid. It's in our genetic code, so we pull boneheaded crap all the time. We see females, we hit on them. We see other males, we flex muscles and butt heads. We don't mean any harm by it, it's just our fragile male egos crying out for attention. We have to prove that we're the most virile, sexiest, biggest, baddest, toughest, meanest-"

He turned his head and suddenly his vision was filled with a creature born of nightmares, wrought from darkness, and was the unholy manifestation of blood curdling horror itself.

Arms flailing wildly, he screamed like a four-year-old child and toppled backwards in his chair, crash landing hard with the floor.

"Axel!" Elsa gasped in concern, rising to her feet. "Are you okay? What-" She cut herself off as her gaze shifted down and she spotted what had startled him so. She crouched down onto her knees and lunged after it.

He groaned and just laid there for a second, bringing a hand to his aching head. Then his eyes snapped open wide and he froze. He was still down on the floor.

...the floor… where the beast was as well… lurking…

He scrambled up to rectify the situation.

Elsa returned a second later, one eyebrow raised and struggling to keep a straight face. "Axel?" she addressed him sweetly.

He turned his head to one side and answered with as much nonchalance as he could muster, "Elsa?"

Her head tilted to the left. "Can we agree that there may have been a teensy bit of an overreaction there?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh really?" she snorted. "Let's review then, shall we? You screamed bloody murder-"

"Um, excuse you," he interjected with a scoff. "I bellowed a noble battle cry like an Olympian warrior."

She continued as if he hadn't said anything, "-then fell over in your chair-"

"Actually, that was a calculated move to get into a strategic position for an ambush."

"-and are now cowering on top of a table-"

"What?! I am most certainly _not-_ " He looked down at himself. He was. He was sitting on the library table, hugging his knees to his chest defensively. Well, shit. When had that happened? He scratched a finger behind his ear. "Heh. Erm, I… wanted a better vantage point for scouting out potential threats?"

A smirk tugged at one corner of her mouth. "And all this because you saw a little mouse?"

He scowled. "That was no mouse, that was a demonic hellspawn come to devour our souls and bathe in our blood."

"Oh, well, my mistake then. When faced with a ferocious minion of hell, it's no wonder you were scared."

"Hey now, I wasn't scared, I was a hero."

She bit her lip, the corners of her mouth stretching upward. "Alright then, Hero. Slay the mighty beast." With that, she thrust her hands up to his face and for the first time he realized nestled within her palms was _terror incarnate_.

Terror incarnate squeaked and wriggled its cute little whiskers at him.

" _Jesus fuck-"_ he hissed in surprise, springing backwards. Unfortunately, he quickly ran out of table beneath him and, for the second time in as many minutes, found himself in an undignified, painful heap on the floor.

"What was that you were going on about earlier?" Elsa asked innocently, her thumb lightly stroking the monster she held. "Something about guys needing to be the roughest, toughest, meanest-"

"There's a difference between being a badass and being an idiot," he said with a wince as he peeked up from behind the table, making sure to keep it between himself and the rodent. "I know better than to let one of those little bastards near me, much less pick one up."

"Oh? And why's that?"

"Because they'll crawl in through your ear, burrow into your brain, and take control of your body in order to further their plans for world domination. Duh."

She laughed and quirked an eyebrow at him. "Okay, first it was a demon, now it's a body snatcher. Which is it?"

"Why can't it be both?"

"Or, you know, it's just a tiny, gentle mouse."

He harrumphed. "That's what it wants you to think to lure you into a false sense of security."

"I'll take my chances."

His shoulders bobbed once. "Suit yourself, but don't come crying to me when you're nothing more than a puppet to an evil vermin overlord."

Rolling her eyes with a grin, she stared thoughtfully at the small furball as she held it up to her face and let it snuffle her nose. "You know, I think this little guy must be someone's pet."

"Yeah, Satan's."

She snorted, but otherwise ignored his statement. "He's just so docile and was easy to catch. Wonder if someone's looking for him right now?"

As if on cue, a new voice asked breathlessly, "Did anybody see a mouse scurry by here?"

She turned to discover what appeared to be a student library volunteer, if the name tag he was wearing was any indication. From his panting and sweating, it seemed like he had rushed over here. Smiling, Elsa held her hands out to him. "Is this what you're looking for?"

His face immediately brightened. "Mortimer!" he cried happily, taking his pet from her. "I'm so glad you found him, thank you!"

"No problem at all…" she paused, squinting at his nametag, "...Walt."

"I hope he didn't startle you too bad."

Shaking her head, she replied, "He didn't."

He blinked at her as he let the mouse scamper up his arm to perch on his shoulder. "But I heard… Didn't you scream?"

"Oh, that wasn't me." She looked pointedly at Axel, who was still crouching behind the table for cover.

Dude, you're a man, act like one.

He immediately straightened up to his full height and cleared his throat.

" _Him_?" Walt asked, eyebrows shooting up his forehead. "But the scream… it was so…"

High pitched? Shrill? Like a big, damn baby?

Axel was conveniently wearing a hoodie, which he decided to take full advantage of at that moment by pulling the black hood up over his head to hide his slowly warming cheeks.

"Well, anyway, I should be getting back to work," the librarian diplomatically changed the subject. He scooped Mortimer off his shoulder and delicately deposited him into his pocket. "Thanks again!"

Elsa waved at him as he walked off, then turned and grinned broadly at Axel. Shoulders stiff, he wordlessly turned his chair upright once more and sat back down in it. Taking her seat beside him, she planted both elbows on the table, rested her chin in her palms, and continued to beam at him.

His left eye twitched. "What?"

"Oh nothing. I just think it's adorable that the big, bad biker is frightened of an itty-bitty mouse."

"Shaddup and study," he grumbled, pulling the silver drawstrings of his hoodie tight to better hide his ever reddening face. Soon all that could be seen was his nose poking out.

She hid a smile behind her hand and shifted her eyes down to her textbook. A minute of silence passed. Then, "Axel?"

"If this is still about that damn mouse, I swear-"

"No, it's not," she chuckled. It was hard to take him seriously when all she could see was the tip of his nose. "It's about something you said earlier."

Hooking a finger in the small opening of his hood, he moved it so one green eye peeked out at her. "Which was?" he asked, voice muffled by fabric.

"That boys will flirt with girls. And it reminded me… well, I wanted to ask… I mean, I was wondering…" she hesitated, eyes downcast as she fiddled with the pendent on her necklace. "...did you ever call that girl?"

He loosened his hood and threw it back, his red spikes bouncing free as he eyed her curiously. "What girl?"

She frowned as her fingers shifted to toying with her pencil. "The one in our class, that wrote down her number on the note you passed to me. Did you ever call her?"

Now _that_ was an interesting question. A simple question, to be sure, and one that certainly had a simple yes-or-no answer. How easy it would be to give it, but where would be the fun in that? Instead, he said, "Why do you ask?"

Inquiring minds wanted to know.

"I don't know," she responded carefully, running her fingers up and down her braid now. It seemed she couldn't keep her hands still. Fascinating indeed. "It's just that… before we started these study sessions, there was… well, you always had these girls and… and now, there are no girls…" She paused, regarding him with a tilt to her head. "Unless... you consider me a girl?"

He gave her a blank stare. That was a rhetorical question, right? She seemed to be waiting for an answer. "Um… yes. Yes, I would consider you a girl."

She blinked, then averted her eyes again with a tiny scowl. "What am I saying? Obviously I'm a girl, of course. That wasn't… What I meant was-" she stopped, making a noise that was somewhere between a growl and a huff.

She was flustered. It was kind of adorable. Grinning, he said, "I haven't called her."

Elsa looked at him in surprise before asking slowly, "You haven't?"

"Nope," he shook his head. "There haven't been any girls. Not any more. Not since you and I…" he paused. It was kind of hard to define what they were currently. So he finally settled on simply, "...started studying together."

Relief flickered across her face, but it was gone almost as quickly as it came. Her eyebrows knit together. "Why would you… That is, I never asked you to…"

"I just haven't wanted to," he shrugged.

"Really? Because if you're only... I mean, we're really just friends, after all. There's no promises or anything about what'll happen at the end of the month."

"I know. But I wouldn't want anything to ruin our friendship."

"But-"

He put a finger to her lips, silencing her. He held it there for a couple seconds, eyes locked on hers, before telling her plainly, "I don't want anyone else." His voice was soft, but firm. She felt heat creeping into her cheeks. Grin widening, he pulled his hand away and added, "So stop trying to pimp me out to the ladies. My body, my choice."

She cracked a smile at that and laughed.

* * *

_**Author's note:** Okay, giving Axel, the big bad biker, irrational fears over something small and silly was definitely a thing I really wanted to squeeze into this story xD And I'm pretty happy with how it turned out too, ridiculousness and all! Plus it gave me an excuse to include a somewhat punny reference ;D_

_Fun Facts - Hoo boy, you're in for a long one, folks. If ya dun wanna read it, skip to the last paragraph xD Alright, few fun facts specifically about this chapter before we get to all of the questions from you lovely, patient peeps:_

_How to Win a Beauty Pageant is a real college course out there! And it's actually not as silly as it might sound, there's descriptions of it online if you're curious. I've never taken it myself, it was something I discovered during random internet searches xD I just didn't want to bring it down too much, since it sounded pretty legit and interesting!_

_Also, the Origami snowman Elsa made is a real one (it was strangely important to me that I wasn't making that shit up, so I researched it lol). If you're curious, you can find the instructions for it on the Youtube video entitled "Origami Snowman Pop-up Card"._

_One more random fact from me before we dive into answering questions xD Remember Axel leaning on the back two legs of his chair when talking about fragile male egos this chapter? You may or may not remember him going through the same motions when explaining his tattoo a few chapters ago. If he's sitting down, he always does this when explaining something. It's his "Listen up yo, I'm being insightful as fuck" mode._

_Alrighty, time to answer all your awesome questions!_

_Elsa's and Axel's passtimes! This is actually going to be answered in the story within an upcoming chapter, so keep an eye out for it! :D_

_Favorite songs/bands! I listed some of their favorite genres and bands back in the author's note for chapter 6, but let's get a little more specific! Only going to list one or two though, otherwise we'll be here all night/day/whatever time it is currently wherever you are, my friends :) I mentioned in ch6 that Elsa likes 80s pop. One of her faves is **Take On Me** by a-ha. She also likes **Cold as Ice** (sorry, had to xD) by Foreigner and she's a huge fan of the singer Idina Menzel (sorry not sorry). Axel will get his jam on to **Ride The Flying Polyp** by The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets (remember the Cthulu plushie in his room? He's a huge HP Lovecraft nerd, forgot to mention that too when talking books a couple author's notes ago!). He also likes (here come the puns, admit it, you know you love it!) **This Fire** by Franz Ferdinand and (bringing up his guilty pleasure for sappy love songs I mentioned in ch6) **I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire** by The Ink Spots :D_

_Favorite anime, manga, and characters from those! Elsa does not read manga. She doesn't watch much anime either, but she HAS seen and is a fan of many Studio Ghibli movies, but then come on, really, who isn't? Her favorite is **My Neighbor Totoro** , it was watched a lot when growing up, and really she likes all of the main characters, seeing herself and Anna in the sisters, as well as seeing Olaf in Totoro. Axel is definitely more of a geek for anime and manga. He really likes **Fairy Tail** (both the anime and manga) and is a fan of Natsu being all "NOMS FIRE". He also likes the anime **Samurai 7** , his fave character being Kyuzo because he's an assassin badass and one slick motherfucker. _

_I was asked a very important question: when did Axel first notice Elsa and how did his crush on her develop? This is a big one that I've been wondering if anyone was going to ask xD I've also been considering how much I was going to reveal in the answer - it's one I've thought about a lot ever since I started writing the story, so there is definitely an answer. I haven't found a good time to fit it into the story yet, but I would like to and most certainly aim to, thus my reluctance to answer it in an author's note. I will say this, it was noted a couple chapters ago (not said out loud, so Elsa still doesn't know xD) that he's been crushing on her for a little over a year now. It was a love at first sight kind of deal, and it was… a bit life changing… AND THAT'S ALL I'M GONNA SAY! Sorry that left a lot of your question unanswered! I'll just figure out a good time to reveal the rest at some point in the story xD_

_I was also asked if Elsa has ever walked in on Anna boning and if Axel has ever walked in on any of his frat bros boning? Yes to both xD It only happened once to Elsa, when Anna was still a teenager and Elsa didn't even know she was dating, much less getting it getting it. So imagine Elsa's surprise when she walked into Anna's room one night and found Anna and a boy Anna had snuck in, the two being, erm… rather preoccupied xD They didn't talk about the incident until about a week later, Elsa was too busy going beet red in the face and stuttering anytime she saw her sister. As for Axel, he walks in on his frat bros boning all the time, doesn't faze him. Said frat bros have no shame about when or where they decide to get intimate with their lady friends, and they used to do it all over their frat house, not even bothering wasting the precious seconds it would take to get to the privacy of their own rooms. That's died down now since non-members are no longer allowed inside the Thirteen (hm, maybe that's WHY non-members were banned? lol), but girls still get snuck in all the time. But either way, whether walking past it in the hall or barging into a room where it's currently happening, he has zero fucks to give._

_H'OKAY! I think I got all the questions, but as always, let me know if I missed any! Sorry this AN was so long, I hope ya'll enjoyed it!_

_Special thanks and much love to everyone who left a comment! Thank you one and all for reading, hoped you liked it, please leave feedback (and silly questions!) and let me know what you think! Until next week!_


	12. Day 15

One would think the archaic and quite honestly barbaric practice of boys pulling on girls' hair would have been left behind long ago in the days of playgrounds, crayon eating, and glue sniffing. Apparently that was not the case however, not for Elsa anyway. As she felt two light tugs on her braid, her eyes widened and then rolled as she let out a heavy sigh. It had not been painful, but that didn't mean she was a fan of it either.

She cast an unamused glance at Axel as he launched himself over the chair beside her and took a seat. "Tell me, because I'm quite curious, do you think I enjoy that?"

He considered it for a moment, taking in her expression, then shook his head. "Not particularly, no."

"Then why do you keep doing it?" As one may recall, this was not the first time it had happened. Unfortunately, it was also not the second. Or third or fourth. In fact, she had lost track by this point.

A crooked little smirk flashed across his face. "Just hoping you'll return the favor again."

With a snort, she looked back down at the notes in her laptop that she had been going over before class started. "Keep dreaming."

"Oh trust me, I do," he winked, then held up two fingers to her. Wedged between them was another one of his patented little folded notes. "You dropped this by the way."

She didn't even look up. "You must be mistaken. That's not mine."

"How do you know? Maybe you should read it just to make sure."

"I don't need to. I already know what it says," she replied as she fixed a typo in her notes.

His grin twitched wider. "How could you know that unless it _did_ belong to you?"

Now she did look up, and graced him with a suspiciously sweet smile. "You know what," she said, taking the paper from him. "This is actually _exactly_ what I need right now."

"Really?" he beamed.

"Yup. It's perfect," she nodded before lifting her flip-up desk an inch. Leaving the note folded shut, she slipped it in beside the hinges between the desk and the armrest it was attached to. "It was so wobbly before," she explained as she lowered the writing surface back into place and attempted to wiggle it. It didn't budge. "There! No more wobble. Thanks!"

Looking somewhat deflated, he shook his head and mumbled, "Don't mention it."

* * *

"Why does something like this always happen on the days Anna is borrowing my car?"

Elsa and Axel stood at the top of the steps leading to the university library. Hanging on its doors was a sign declaring that it had been closed due to the unfortunate discovery of a termite infestation and it would be a couple weeks before it could be re-opened.

"I can give you a lift home, that's no problem," Axel replied, lacing his fingers behind his head. "But now where are we supposed to study for the rest of the month?"

She put her fingers to her lips in thought, trying to come up with an alternate location. Nothing came to mind. Well… nothing except for… She hesitated, then said, "I guess we could…"

She couldn't believe she was suggesting this.

"...hold our sessions at my place from now on?"

He arched an eyebrow at her. "You'd be okay with that?"

Folding her arms under her chest, her eyes darted to one side as she said, "I guess. I mean, I'm not _totally_ repulsed by the idea or anything."

He snerked. "Gee, you say the sweetest things to me."

She bit back a grin. "You don't have to give me a ride though. I'm sure if I text Anna, she can swing by and pick me up."

"Why would you do a silly thing like that? We're going to the same place anyway. Besides, I don't remember where you live."

Elsa tipped her head to one side. "You don't?"

"Please. I was so drunk, I hardly even remember _going_ to your apartment in the first place. You think I could recall directions?"

"Good point," she muttered. "But-"

"No buts." He took hold of her hand, interlocking his fingers with hers and pulling her along. "Let's go."

All but dragging her feet, she grumbled, "Fine."

And so it was she found herself once again seated behind him on his motorcycle, arms wrapped around his waist as they raced along. Her hands shifted about restlessly as she didn't quite know what to do with them, where they should be. You'd think she would have figured it out the last time, but it was still very much a mystery to her. It's not like she hugged people all that often - or _ever_ \- and this was worse than a hug. At least a hug was over in a few seconds.

Every now and again he would take a sudden sharp turn that would force her to hold onto him more tightly. He was probably doing it on purpose. Jerk. Still, she could not really argue that she wasn't enjoying herself. Flying down the road... feeling one with the wind and sky… he was so warm…

...maybe it wasn't all so bad...

It wasn't long before they were parking in front of her apartment. Elsa lead them in through the front gate, unlocked the door and stepped inside. Axel followed behind her and came to a stop on the lavish rug, taking a moment to scrutinize his new surroundings. His gaze roamed from the antique grandfather clock and opulent paintings hanging on the wall to his right, to the monstrous TV and massive, intricately detailed coffee table on his left with three plush, extremely comfy-looking couches gathered around it, the closest one facing away from the entrance. His eyes narrowed as he took it all in and he pursed his lips. "Are you sure this is where you live?"

She looked at him blankly. "Um… yeah, pretty sure."

"Okay, just checking. Because I recognize nothing."

"None of it?" She eyed him dubiously. "Come on, I know you were out of it that night, but some of this stuff has to look familiar to you."

Planting his knuckles against one hip, he said, "Shall I reiterate to you just how drunk I was?"

She grinned, "Sure, go for it. How drunk were you?"

"I would have tried to make out with a toaster given half the chance."

Now there was an image. "That would have ended poorly."

Shrugging, he said, "Eh, I probably would have liked it. Would have just thought it was playing hard to get."

Shaking her head, she asked, "What about the next morning? You'd sobered up by then, surely you remember something."

"That's mostly a blur too," he answered distractedly. He had wandered over to one of the paintings and seemed to now be locked in a staring contest with the occupant of the portrait. The finely dressed old woman depicted in the piece glared down at Axel. He was glaring right back. "After all, I was a bit busy-"

"-fleeing as if your life depended on it?" Elsa offered brightly.

His head whipped around towards her, mouth opened to argue, then he stopped, snapping it shut. Looking away, he muttered, "...was not."

"Oh? Then what were you?"

"...in a hurry to get to my morning class that I was late for."

She thought about that one for a second. "You mean the class you skipped out on because you were avoiding me?"

He rubbed the back of his neck and cleared his throat. "Heh. So… what's the plan?"

Smooth subject change there, pal. Real subtle. Not. "For?"

"Studying. Where are we setting up? In your room?"

She blinked, her eyes darting down the hall to land on the door leading to her bedroom. Images flashed through her mind, memories of the last time - the _only_ time, really - that the two of them were alone together in there, and-

Oh, no. No you don't, cheeks. Not this time. Not today.

"Out here in the living room should be fine," she replied hastily.

"That works," he nodded, unslinging his bag from his shoulders and tossing it onto the nearest couch. He then began to remove his jacket as well, but stopped with a small shiver. "Brrr. Did you say this was a living room or a frozen meat locker?"

Elsa dropped her own bag on the same couch and took a seat beside it. "Oh, sorry about that. I like to keep the AC at full blast. Anna complains about it all the time."

"No worries," he waved a hand as he wandered over to the thermostat. "I think it's actually pretty neat what you're trying to do."

She looked up from rummaging through the school supplies in her knapsack to quirk an eyebrow at him. "What I'm trying to…?"

"You know, perfectly preserving your body in ice for future historians to study, I mean that's just- woah!"

Rolling her eyes, she asked, "Now what?"

"I think I just saw a penguin waddle by."

"Ha ha," she responded flatly, pulling a textbook out. "You and Anna are just weak. Honestly, the cold never bothered me anyway."

"Well it bothers me," he grunted, cranking up the heat on the thermostat before wandering over to stand behind the sofa once more. There he proceeded to spin around and flop over it backwards, his back hitting the cushions with his knees hooked over the rear edge, feet dangling.

Snorting as she eyed his upside down sitting position, Elsa said, "I don't think that's the proper way to get studying done."

"Hey, you have your methods, and I have mine."

She tilted her head to one side, trying to meet his inverted gaze halfway. "All the blood is going to rush to your head, you know."

He smirked, "The better to study with."

"Yeah, that's not how that works."

"Says you."

"How old are you, five?" she asked. In response, he stuck his tongue out at her. "Right. Okay then. Can we just get to studying?"

"Sure thing." He folded his arms behind his head. "So, what do you do for fun?"

She blinked. He really was a five-year-old. He had the attention span of one anyway. "What's that have to do with studying?"

"I'm studying you."

Flipping through the pages of her textbook, she sighed. Bringing him here may have been a bad idea. "I don't think tomorrow's quiz is going to have any questions on me."

"Well, won't you have egg on your face when the answer to number seven is top three things Elsa likes to do with her free time."

"In the unlikely event that happens, I think I'll be okay."

"I won't, I don't know the answer to that." He splayed a hand over his chest in mock hurt. "Do you want me to _fail?_ Come on, it's for my education."

Hiding a smile behind her hand, she shook her head. "You're ridiculous. Alright, here you go. Top three things Elsa does in her spare time," she leaned forward and began to tick off on her fingers, "Study. Study. And… you guessed it: Study."

"Lame," he huffed, lifting his legs up so he could roll over and sit upright. "There's more to it than that, you don't _always_ have classes. What do you do in the summer?" She began to respond, but he added quickly, "And if the next words out of your mouth are 'summer school,' so help me…"

A grin tugged at her lips as she slouched back into the sofa and crossed her arms in thought. "I'm actually pretty dull. I don't know… I like watching TV shows, the occasional movie, reading books… sometimes I go to the beach," she shrugged.

He cocked his head to one side. "The beach? _You?_ Really?"

"Yeah, the beach, _me_ , really." Her brow furrowed. "Is there a problem with that?"

"Not at all, the beach is great. I'm just surprised. Can't really picture you there."

"If it helps the image, I usually take a book, find some secluded spot and just read. Maybe do a little people watching."

"There we go, that's the antisocial hermit I've come to know and adore," he chuckled, dodging her attempt to flick him in the ear. "Still, why the beach?"

Book sitting open on her lap, her fingers absently toyed with her braid as she said slowly, "Not sure really. Good memories, I guess. Our parents used to take Anna and me there when we were little, and I just… like it. I enjoy listening to the seals and the seagulls. It's also pretty fun watching the surfers go out and do their thing. And I like the boardwalk… well, the idea of it anyway, I've never actually went. It's all just… nice, I suppose." She cast a shrewd sidelong glance in his direction. "And you?"

His head rocked back a bit. "Me? What about me?"

"How do you spend your time?"

He scratched his cheek before flicking his wrist dismissively. "You don't want me to bore you with that."

"Sure, because my answer was so exciting," she scoffed. A beat, then with one corner of her lips curling upward, she added, "Come on, it's for my education."

"Oh, aren't you just so clever," he teased before stretching out and hanging an arm over the back of the couch, staring up at the ceiling. "Huh. What _do_ I do? ...work, mostly."

She pulled a face. "Work? And you were giving me a hard time about studying?"

"Hey, at least I have friends that I hang out with too. And I have my bike, I go for rides." He shrugged, "But yeah, for the most part, I work. Gotta pay the bills somehow, ya know."

"Alright, fair point," she conceded, then knit her eyebrows together. "Hey, what is your job anyway?"

Axel scratched a spot behind his ear. "Didn't we discuss this already?"

"No." She frowned, then amended, "Well, not really. I mean, dinner theater was mentioned."

"There ya go. Dinner theater."

"But what, is it like… Medieval Times? Pirates? Shakespeare?" she pressed eagerly. "...do you wear a silly costume?"

"...there may be a costume involved, yes." It seemed to almost physically pain Axel to admit that.

Her hands lightly clapped together. "Do you sing? Is there a dance? Please tell me there's a dance."

Pretty, pretty please with a cherry on top.

He grimaced and muttered, "There's a dance."

"Can I see it?" He quirked an eyebrow at her quizzically, and she elaborated, "Your dance. Would you show it to me?"

"Ah, no," he laughed softly, rubbing a hand over his mouth. "You wouldn't be able to handle the dance."

He must have been really embarrassed about it, making Elsa even more curious. Maybe he was one of those clowns that performed at kid parties. It would explain those marks he always had painted on his cheeks. "Oh, I think I could."

"Trust me, you couldn't."

"Try me."

He studied her for a few seconds out of the corner of his half-lidded eyes, a lopsided smile forming on his lips. Finally, he bobbed his shoulders in resignation. "Alright. You asked for-"

His words were cut short by a loud _thud_ of something slamming against the front door, causing both of them to jump. A couple heartbeats of silence, then a muffled giggle could be heard from the other side and Elsa blinked.

...Anna?

Sure enough, the door banged open a second later and her sister and Hans all but toppled through it together, lip locked and a tangle of limbs. Kicking the door shut behind them, they stumbled over to the nearest surface for them to lean against, which just so happened to be the back of the sofa Elsa and Axel were currently occupying. The couple seemed to be a bit too… _involved_ to notice they had an audience.

"Shh," Hans whispered as Anna laughed again. He was trailing a string of kisses down her collarbone.

Welp, this was awkward.

"Don't you shush me, mister," Anna breathed, craning her neck back to give him better access. "We've got the whole place to ourselves, Elsa won't be home for hours. Come on, let's do it on the couch!"

...yeah… this was _way_ awkward.

With another giggle, Anna hooked her fingers into her boyfriend's shirt and fell backwards onto the sofa, pulling him down with her. They landed on the cushions between Elsa and Axel, and it was that moment that Elsa diplomatically chose to loudly clear her throat. The pair froze. Her lips forming a tiny O, Anna looked past Hans, her eyes darting from her older sister to her redheaded study partner and back. Then she snerked and busted up with laughter, Hans joining in as well.

Absolutely _zero_ shame.

"Hey, sis. Axel," Anna managed to get out between chuckles. Axel grinned and waggled his fingers at her in greeting, while Elsa merely crossed her arms and gave her the best stern-older-sister face she could muster. "I thought you'd still be at the library."

"Clearly," she deadpanned. "It was closed, so we decided to come here instead." She paused before thinking better of it and adding, "It's going to be closed for a while. So get used to seeing us here. Often."

Hint, hint.

"Duly noted," she fired her a two-finger salute as Hans finally regained enough composure to lift himself up off her to stand once more.

Narrowing her eyes, Elsa said, "Anna, did you only borrow my car to keep me from coming home early?"

She avoided her gaze as Hans helped her up and said a touch too innocently, "No?"

"Anna…"

"...maybe?"

She heaved a long, weary sigh. "You know you could have just asked me not to come home for a while, right?"

"Where would have been the fun in that?"

Rolling her eyes, another thought suddenly crossed Elsa's mind. She looked from the couch to her sister and crinkled her nose in distaste. "Wait… oh god, did you- you haven't- have you… you _know_... on this couch before?"

With a weak, nervous laugh and shifty eyes, Anna cupped a hand to her ear. "Did you hear that? Sounded like my phone. Ringing. In my room."

Hans began, "I didn't hear any-"

"Yup, that's what it was!" Anna interrupted him loudly, running off down the hall and yanking him behind her. "Better go answer it, could be important!"

"Get back here, you little-" Elsa started, reaching out to snag her sister, but she was already long gone. She scowled as she heard the door to Anna's room slam shut, then looked back down at the couch she was sitting upon. With a sour twist to her lips, she hastily stood up. She looked to Axel and a bit of awkward silence ensued.

Finally, he broke it by asking. "Study in the dining room?"

"...yeah."

* * *

_**Author's Note:** Oh, Anna, Anna, Anna... what are we going to do with you? And just what is Axel's job anyway? xD You'll find out soon enough! And yay, time for my favorite crack pairing to have some fun outside of the library! :D_

_EXCITING NEWS! I wrote an Axel x Elsa one-shot! It's called **Closer** , it's another modern AU (totally separate from this one) filled with ice cubes, bikers, and polar bears, oh my! (well... just the one polar bear... but still!) Please go give it a read and leave feedback!_

_Fun Facts - Just got the one question from you guys this week! Almost a bit of a relief, I won't swamp you with a wall of text AN this chapter xD But I do still love them, so do absolutely feel free to keep asking them! But maybe limit it to only 1 question per review from now on so I can keep my ANs shorter like this xD So choose wisely! Alright, here we go:_

_If they could cosplay, who would they cosplay as? Alright, so Elsa would never cosplay willingly on her own, but she could be possibly be persuaded (or maybe rather pestered into, pleaded with, dragged into) by Axel to cosplay. With that in mind, they'd totally do a theme together. And the theme would be... **Mega Man**! Can you guess who they would be? Can you? Can you? :D THEY WOULD BE FIRE MAN AND ICE MAN! Ba-dum-tss! *runs away and hides*_

_Special thanks and much love to everyone who left kudos! Thank you one and all for reading, hoped you liked it, please leave feedback (and silly questions!) and let me know what you think! And again, don't forget to check out my new one-shot **Closer**! Until next week!   
_


	13. Day 16

"So glad my presence is able to lift your spirits and bring such joy into your life."

"...sorry, what?" Axel grumbled distractedly, clearly not having heard Roxas's sarcastic remark. The redhead didn't even look at him, he was too busy glaring holes into the back of Wakka's skull.

The blonde just shook his head. "Nothing."

It was the dawn of a new day and class was in session once again. As expected, Elsa could be found in a spot in the front row. Perhaps a little unexpected however, Axel was not to be found seated beside her. Instead, he was all the way in the back next to Roxas today. And the reason for the change of scenery? Hint: his name rhymed with baka. Elsa had taken an aisle seat, so there was only one chair next to her, and some chump whose name was a dumb ursine muppet's catchphrase had beaten Axel to it.

What kind of stupidass name was _Wakka_ anyway? Get a real name, loser.

This coming from the guy who went by Axel.

Needless to say, he was none too pleased with the new seating arrangements and was less than pleasant company for his friend. Not that there was anything wrong with Roxas. It was just that the intricate mating display he had been weaving for the past sixteen days had been carefully crafted and meticulously coordinated for a certain special someone, and Roxas was most definitely not that someone. Nothing against Roxas, he was a handsome fellah and all, but he wasn't the one who gave Axel the warm fuzzies inside. Sorry, Roxas, it just wasn't meant to be. Maybe in the next life.

Way to get shot down without even offering in the first place, Rox.

In any case, with his rightful place at Elsa's side having been usurped by that blackguard Wakka, Axel was missing out on some valuable wooing time. And as productive as sulking petulantly in the back of the classroom was, it was time to take a more proactive route.

Shooting one more withering glance in the usurper's direction, he shifted his attention to tearing a fresh piece of paper out of his notebook and began writing. Three guesses as to the words he was jotting down. When done, he folded it into a crude little airplane and then waited. Once the teacher turned her back to the room, he took careful aim. All his hard work and years of experience throwing paper jets were about to pay off. One eye squeezed shut, tongue licking the left corner of his mouth, he finally let it fly. It soared over the rows of students' heads before dipping and sailing down into a smooth landing right on top of the keys of Elsa's laptop. He gave a small fist pump with a grin.

He watched as her back went rigid, then she whipped her head around to fix him with a dull stare. He responded with a chipper little wave. Rolling her eyes, she took the paper plane and stuffed it in her bag, then went back to writing down whatever the lecturer was currently drawling on about.

Axel pursed his lips. Well now that just wouldn't do. Tearing another sheet out of his notebook, he went through the same motions, ending in sending another paper jet sailing in her direction. His actions were not going unnoticed by the rest of the classroom, as this one was accompanied by a hushed chorus of whispers and chuckles. It didn't quite hit its mark this time, instead getting caught in the crook of her neck. Ah well, close enough.

Snatching the flimsy glider off her shoulder, she glanced back him again, this time narrowing her eyes. He just shrugged and smirk.

Did he know how to win a lady over or what?

Unexpectedly, one corner of Elsa's lips quirked upward. Then she turned back around in her seat, but only long enough to make sure the professor was still focused on scribbling notes onto the whiteboard. Then she twisted back around and hastily flung the airplane back at him, more students giggling in its wake. It hit Roxas square in the nose.

Unlike Axel, it was apparent she had been neglecting her paper plane throwing practice over the years. For shame.

"I believe this belongs to you," Roxas muttered, rubbing his nose with one hand and using the other to hold up the glider to Axel.

"Thanks," he chirped, before taking it and chucking it back at Elsa. Roxas pinched the bridge of his nose. The snickering from his classmates was getting louder. In his haste, his throw got sloppy and the little jet crash landed into the neon orange tumbleweed that was Wakka's sorry excuse for hair. Eh, still close enough.

Struggling to suppress her smile, Elsa rescued the little flying machine and raised it over her head, preparing to launch it back at him. A hand suddenly closed around her wrist, stopping her. Her eyes widened and her teeth clenched.

Uh oh.

"Most students," the professor chided with a frown as she plucked the toy out of Elsa's hand before releasing her, "know by the time they reach college that throwing paper airplanes in class is highly inappropriate."

Code red! Code red! The mission had gone horribly awry!

Elsa blanched. "I'm sorry, I-"

She cut her off as if she had not spoken, "It is rude, disrespectful, highly disruptive, and quite honestly I expected better of you, Miss Fryse. This is most disappointing."

Axel watched as with every word, Elsa twitched and seemed to shrink smaller and smaller. Normally, Elsa was not one to back down from confrontation. Axel had witnessed her on more than one occasion going head to head with that Steve douche. But now she was faced with a _teacher_. Asking her to talk back to the lecturer would be like asking a flower to spurn the lifegiving sun. He had to do something, there had be a way to put a stop to this somehow. Elsa stammered, "I-I didn't mean to-"

"What's this?" The lecturer's brow furrowed as she eyed the plane a little more closely, then began to unfold it. Eyes scanning the sheet, she read slowly aloud, "Do you like me? Yes or no…?"

There! Axel had his opening. He lept out of his chair, feet slapping against the floor as he let out an ear-piercing, comically exaggerated gasp. And just like that, all eyes in the room were on him.

Operation Sacrificial Lamb was a go.

"Was that note meant for _me?!_ " he asked, pressing both hands over his heart and feigning shock. He fluttered his eyelashes and fell silent for a few seconds, looking away. Finally, he stage whispered, "Yes." Then, more loudly, "Yes! Yes, yes, a _thousands_ times yes!"

Beside him, Roxas facepalmed. Elsa was frozen where she sat as she watched the display. The lecturer seemed unimpressed however as she planted her hands on her hips and said, "Mr. Moyasu, just what do you think you're-"

"Oh gosh, this is all just so sudden!" he interjected, eyes downcast as a hand flew to his cheek. "I'm just so flustered, so giddy, so… so twitterpated! Why," he took several hurried steps out towards the aisle, "I feel a song coming on!"

"Mr. Moyasu," she snapped again, crossing her arms, "either quietly take your seat right now or-"

" _They say our love won't pay the rent! Before it's earned, our munny's all been spent_ ," he burst out into song, cheshire grin plastered across his face as he reached a hand towards Elsa. She sank down into her chair and hid her face, trying her damnedest to disappear. Not put off in the slightest, he continued, " _I guess that's so, we-_ "

"Alright, lover boy, you're done," the teacher snapped as she gripped Axel by the shoulders, spun him around and pinned one of his arms behind his back, using her firm hold to guide him towards the door.

Stumbling to keep up with the swift pace she was forcing him into, he said, "Jeez, lady, you're strong. How much you lift?"

Ignoring the quip, she said, "Consider yourself excused from class today. Take this as a warning and check the attitude at the door next time."

She had almost managed to herd him to the exit when he raised his foot and slammed the sole against the doorframe, bringing them to a lurching stop. Once again, he crooned over his shoulder, " _Then put your little hand in mine, there ain't no hill or mountain we can't cli-_ "

The professor managed to dislodge him and shove him out the door, banging it shut behind him. Pressing his ear to the wood, he heard a round of applause and whistles from his classmates before the lecturer's stern, muffled voice cut through, "Settle down! Now, I trust there won't be any further interruptions?" She did not receive so much as a peep in answer. "Good. Now where were we?"

He smirked as he heard her pick up where she had last left off in the lesson. Mission accomplished.

With no further reason to stick around, he turned and began to walk off. He'd left his bag at his seat, but Roxas would be sure to grab that for him. Humming a certain tune that had now managed to get stuck in his head, he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He pulled it out to discover he had received a text from Elsa.

_Thanks ^^;_

Grinning, he tapped in his response.

_I got u, babe_

* * *

Axel's knuckles rapped against the door to the tune of "shave and a haircut" before he took a small step back and waited. A moment later, it opened slightly and bright blue eyes peeked out at him from beneath auburn bangs. Anna smiled before pulling the door wider. "Yo. Here to see Elsa?"

"No, I'm selling Girl Scout cookies," he deadpanned.

"Oh." She eyed him up and down then tipped her head to one side. "You don't have a uniform."

"If that's the only problem you see with my statement, then your powers of observation need some serious work."

She laughed and turned, gesturing him inside. "Come on in. She's back in her room, I'll take you to her."

He followed her into the apartment, closing the door behind him. The two walked a few steps in silence before Axel cleared his throat and asked, "Hey, when's Elsa birthday?"

She blinked at the abrupt question, coming to a halt. "She doesn't celebrate it, you know."

Scratching the nape of his neck, he said, "I kind of figured as much."

Her eyes softened slightly. "So she told you what happened." At his nod, she began walking again, leading him down the hall. "Well, you're in luck. It's actually coming up next Tuesday."

Huh. Can you say destiny?

"I can make that work," he grinned.

The corner of her eyes crinkled as she brought them to a stop once more, this time in front of the third door down. "Here we are! She's expecting you, so feel free to just walk right in." She winked, her grin widening before she dashed off further down the hallway and shut herself in her room. He stared after her for a moment with one eyebrow arched, then shook his head, opened the door and stepped in to find-

Holy fuck.

There stood Elsa. Pale hair free of its usual braid and cascading down her back. Dripping wet from head to toe. In nothing but a towel.

Holy _fuck_.

He froze half in, half out of the room, eyes wide, hand still on the doorknob, and stared at her. Just stared. She stared back. This went on for about a minute. One very long, awkward, drawn out minute.

Tucking a few strands of her slick hair behind her ear, Elsa finally broke the silence and asked quietly, "Could you close the door please?"

"Uh…"

We're sorry, all our operators are busy at the moment. Please stay on the line, your call is very important to us.

"...oh!" He finally snapped out of it. "Crap! Of course! Sure, right away." He promptly closed the door.

With him still inside.

She gave him a blank look. He smiled. Blissfully clueless.

"...you're supposed to be on the other side of the door."

"Shit, right! Sorry! My bad," he spluttered, fumbling with the doorknob until it opened and let him out. Yanking the door shut behind him and leaning back against it, he dragged a hand down his face and breathed out slowly, his cheeks puffing.

Stupid.

So much for not coming across as a sleazeball pervert. And he had been doing so well over the past couple weeks, only to have it all ruined in an instant just because he didn't freaking _knock_. And to think he had just gawked at her, like some sort of addled-brained, pizzafaced preteen who had never seen a half naked chick before. Stupid, stupid, _stupid!_

He banged the back of his head against the door. Then he winced. She'd probably heard that.

Great. Now she's going to think you're a perv _and_ a psycho.

The door - rather, the thing that was supporting his weight - opened and he struggled to stay upright and not just topple over into her room. Somehow, he managed. Elsa stepped out, now in a tank top and jeans, hair still damp and tied back into a loose ponytail. Her face was slightly heated and she didn't make eye contact.

Axel opened his mouth to fumble his way through an apology, but before he could get there, Elsa muttered, "Let me guess. Anna?"

He blinked. Actually… now that he thought about it, she _was_ the one who had told him to to just walk on in. True, he was the idiot who had blindly done as he was told, but still. His voice seemingly having abandoned him, he just nodded.

She grinned at him. It was utterly terrifying to behold. "I'll be right back."

She walked down the hall to the room Anna had retreated to, opened the door and, with that same blood-curdling smile still etched across her face, she entered, closing it softly after her. A few seconds of silence, then Anna's voice could be heard. "What, I was just trying to help you out!" More silence. Then, "Ow!" Anna again. It was followed by some banging and shuffling noises - sounds of a struggle perhaps?

Suddenly, Anna's door was flung open and the redhead sprinted out, shrieking and laughing. Axel flattened himself against the wall so as not to become roadkill as Anna blurred past yelling, "But I'm too young and pretty to die!" With Elsa in hot pursuit, he watched as the two sisters vanished around the corner into the living room. Then he grinned.

Okay. This was officially _way_ better than studying at the library.

* * *

As he came to, Axel's first thought was to wonder why his head felt funny. His second thought was to question why was he was even coming to at all… when had he passed out in the first place? Third thought was, man, this textbook made a surprisingly comfy pillow!

"Rise and shine, sleepy head."

"Nh?" he asked intelligently, straining to sit up as he heard Elsa's soft chuckle. He looked about blearily to see they were still at her apartment, seated at the dining table, its surface cluttered with books and papers. He must have nodded off at some point while studying. Chin propped in her hand, Elsa was eyeing him with a tiny smirk. "What time is it?" he yawned, rubbing his palm into one eye.

"Almost ten. You've been out for nearly an hour. Didn't realize you had such an early bedtime, old man."

"Shush, you," he grumbled, narrowing his eyes at her. Somehow, she seemed unperturbed by his scowl. If anything, she struggled not to smile wider. "You could have woken me up, you know."

"But you just seemed so, ah… so peaceful," she snerked.

He huffed. "Alright, what's so funny?" And why did his head still feel weird? Running his fingers through his scalp, they hit something, knocking it loose and sending it plummeting to the pages of his textbook. "The hell…?" he murmured, picking the mystery thing up to scrutinize it. It was an eraser.

Unable to contain herself any longer, Elsa broke down into laughter. Digging into his hair again, this time he retrieved a paperclip. Pushing out his chair, he rose and strode over to a mirror hanging on the wall as he asked, "The hell did you do to me?"

"I'm sorry," she managed to wheeze before covering her mouth with her hand, attempting to stifle her giggles.

He took in his reflection and blinked. His hair looked like the goddamn Back To School aisle at Walmart. With a roll of his eyes, Axel set to work removing the small items littered amongst his crimson locks, which included but were not limited to: two more erasers, a ruler, four pencils, a couple highlighters, three pens, more paper clips than worth taking the time to count, and, just to mix things up a bit, one fork.

Elsa had sobered somewhat by the time he had finished, but she couldn't help another barely suppressed snort as he dumped it all into a pile in front of her before plopping back down into his chair. Shaking his head with a grin, he said, "Well, I'm glad you have no problem amusing yourself at my expense."

"Sorry," she repeated, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. "I was just… I got bored, and then there you were, oblivious to the world. And I've always been curious just how sturdy your hair was. Answer? Very."

"So that's how you spent the last hour?" he tipped his head to one side. "Just shoving whatever you could get your hands on into my scalp?"

"Well… that's how it started." She looked down as her fingers fiddled with her braid. "Then it turned into more of a game. Using paperclips, I was trying to toss them so they'd hook onto the tips of your spikes. Kind of like Horseshoes."

He released a snort through his nose. "Did you win?"

"If we're talking actual number of ringers, then not really. But if we're talking number of times I just smacked you in the face with a paperclip, then yes, I think so."

"Sounds like you made good use of your study time," he said, leaning back and crossing his arms.

She shrugged. "I finished the assignment early."

He perked up at that. "So you have some free time then?"

"I guess… but don't you still need to finish the assignment too?"

He brushed her question off with a flip of his hand. "Eh, I'll just copy yours later."

Elsa frowned at him. "You most certainly will no-"

"Cuz I was thinking," he interrupted in a sing-song, "that I still owe you a motorcycle lesson, if you're interested."

That gave her pause. Indecision warred across her features, and one could all but see the tiny angel and devil on her shoulders, playing tug-of-war with her thoughts.

Come on, chica, give in to the dark side. You know you want to...

Finally, after a lot of hesitation and with obvious reluctance, she muttered, "Maybe it'd be okay just this one time…"

"Sweet! Way to stick it to the man! Alright, let's do this." Faster than you could said 'plagiarism', Axel leapt to his feet, pulled Elsa up with him and had rushed her out the front door.

The street was quiet, with streetlamps chasing off the gloom of night. One was directly over Axel's motorcycle, shining brightly down like a spotlight featuring the lead actress in a Broadway play. Within seconds, he had seated Elsa on the bike and with his helmet tucked under one arm, he began pointing and rattling off what every button, lever, and dial was for. She nodded from time to time as she tried to keep up, but her eyebrows kept reaching higher and higher up her forehead.

"And down here," he went on gesturing towards a pedal, "you have your rear wheel brake, and on the other side is the gear shifter. Both pretty self explanatory. Over here, you have the petcock-"

"I'm sorry, the _what_ now?" she blurted out.

He smirked, "Easy there, Gutter Brain."

"I do _not_ have a-"

He ruffled her bangs, silencing her. "Don't get me wrong, I like where your head's at, but now is not the time. Maybe later," he winked. Chuckling as she swatted his hand away, he continued, "Now where were we? Ah yes, last but most certainly not least, this button up here is the ignition switch. Just turn the key and press that button to make the bike start." Resting his knuckles on his hips, he straightened up with a nod. "And that about covers it. Got it memorized?"

She stared down at all the gauges, lights and switches, blinking a couple times and pursing her lips to one side. "Um… could I maybe see a manual?"

Letting out a soft _tsk_ , he shook his head. "Riding isn't something you study, it's just something you _do_. It's something you _feel_. It's a part of you, you become one with the bike. No amount of reading through the manual will prepare you for that, you just gotta give it a go."

Staring down at the controls, she worried her bottom lip between her teeth. "...maybe this wasn't a good idea. Is this even safe? I mean, it feels pretty irresponsible just to-"

"You'll be fine," he shoved the helmet onto her head with a grin. He then released the kickstand, checked the engine kill-switch and made sure she was in neutral before taking a step back. "Riding's in your blood, I can feel it. Just give it a chance. Go on, try starting her up."

He could practically feel the eye roll directed at him through the helmet as she sighed and looked back down at the dashboard. After a short pause, she used one hand to turn the key that he had left in the ignition. She raised her other hand and hesitated for a second, before uncertainly pressing down on a button.

The motorcycle released a long, loud beep that echoed off all the surrounding buildings, making Elsa squeak and jump. She yanked her hand back to her chest and the quiet that followed was nearly deafening. "...I meant to do that."

He snorted. "Oh yeah, sure, obviously you meant to honk the horn and wake all your neighbors in a one mile radius."

"It's too early for them to be in bed anyway. I'm doing them a favor, really."

"Such a good samaritan. Alright, Miss Humanitarian, try again."

Helmet cocked to one side, her hand hovered over all the switches once more before she pressed a very tentative finger to a different one. This time, the engine roared to life.

His hands clapped loudly together. "There ya go. What'd I tell you? You're a natural! Now, how about riding her around a bit?"

Her head snapped up in his direction. "Um, no."

"Aw, come on, it's easy!" he laughed. "No rush, baby steps. Just shift her into first gear and release the clutch real slow-like." Another low, muffled huff from her, then her foot was fumbling with one of the pedals. Axel cleared his throat. "Good effort, but that's the rear brake. Gear shifter is on the other side."

"Right. I knew that." She swapped feet and successfully shifted into first. Then, both feet firmly planted on the ground, she cautiously loosened her grip on the clutch. Eventually, the motorcycle began to gently roll forward. Her whole body visibly stiffened, her knees locked up, and the bottom of her boots dragged noisily against the asphalt as the machine pulled her along. She moved about five feet before hastily squeezing down the clutch once more and coming to a jerky stop.

Axel gave her the thumbs up. "Nice," he beamed before folding his arms over his chest. "Next time though, try taking your feet _off_ the ground. You'll get better results."

He heard her take a deep breath before exhaling, then she tried again. This time, there was only a slight delay before she pulled her feet up onto the pegs. She released a surprised laugh as she inched along. The triumph was short lived however as she suddenly panicked, swerved the handlebars a bit before forgetting about the clutch altogether and jumping off the still moving bike. They watched wordlessly as it rolled along for a few more yards before bumping into a streetlamp and clattering over onto its side.

"...okay. Good," Axel nodded. "But do you know what you did wrong there?"

"...I got off the bike?" she asked, her voice small.

"You got off the bike," he agreed.

She wrung her hands together, mumbling, "I hope I didn't damage it too bad."

"Please," he snorted, walking over and crouching down next to it. "You were clocking at about two feet per century. A snail would have wiped out harder than you. After some of the crashes I've been in, I can tell you she's one tough old bird. She'll be fine."

"You sure?"

Pulling the bike back up to stand properly, he glanced over his shoulder at her and froze. She had pulled the helmet off and looked for all the world like a puppy that had been scolded for eating its master's favorite pair of bunny slippers. Seriously, if she had had a tail, it would have been drooping pathetically between her legs right about now.

Ugh. Stop it with the cute already. Jesus, Bambi had nothing on this chick.

It took every last ounce of his restraint not to pull her into a hug. He got the feeling that wouldn't fly. Not yet anyway, but maybe one day. Hopefully one day real soon. Instead, he just smiled and replied, "Positive. Now hop on and let's give this another shot." As she went to put the helmet back on, he took it from her and tossed it to the ground. "Forget that for now."

Her eyebrows knit together. "But don't I need it?"

"Nope. We're going to try something a little different this time."

"Okay," she shrugged, before climbing back onto the bike. "Now what?"

Instead of saying anything, he threw his leg over the machine and sat down behind her. He felt her muscles tense as he leaned over her, placing his hands next to hers on the grips. She then craned her neck back to look up at him and blink. He gave her a half-smirk in response. She narrowed her eyes.

"And just what do you think you're doing, buddy?"

"Clearly, you need more help than your basic lessons," he explained. "So I'm trying a more personal, hands-on approach."

She snorted as she looked forward once more and he felt her relax a bit. "Is this why I'm not wearing a helmet?"

"Yup. With me here to help, you're as safe as a bug in a rug!"

"I don't think safety regulations would consider you a suitable replacement for proper protective headgear."

He bent forward so his mouth was next to his ear as he murmured, "Trust me, I'd die before I'd let anything happen to you." He felt a tiny shiver from her and he smiled softly before straightening up. "Plus, bonus." He planted his chin on the top of her head. "You're like the perfect height, shortie."

"...not cool."

"No seriously, this is awesome. Can I take you with me on all my rides from now on? My neck tends to get tired on the longer ones, and you make like the perfect chin rest. What d'ya say?"

She said nothing, merely elbowed him in the gut, forcing a cough out of him.

"Take it that's a no then?"

* * *

_**Author's Note:** Oh gosh, these dorks xD And oh hey, look, it's Axel's last name! Another bit of a pun I slipped in - let me know if you can't figure it out :P_

_Fun Facts - What is Elsa's favorite play? **Wicked** (hehehe is funny for REASONS, do you know what those reasons are?) followed closely by **Into the Woods** (just cuz screw it, I like it, so she can too xD but I'm talking the original, not the watered down Disney version xD which I still like, but it's just not the SAME).  
_

_Oh wow, such a short AN this time, almost feels weird! But I suspect you guys probably prefer it this way!_

_Special thanks and much love to everyone who left comments! Thank you one and all for reading, hoped you liked it, please leave feedback (and silly questions!) and let me know what you think! See ya guys next week!  
_


	14. Day 17

"Well, look who beat me to class today, Mr. Early Bird."

"Don't call me that." Axel gave Elsa a pointed look. "Makes me feel like some old fart looking for a discount diner breakfast."

She snorted as she took a seat beside him. "Pardon me. Garçon it is then. So, what _has_ brought you here so early, all bright eyed and bushy tailed?"

"Just staking out my turf. Didn't want to risk a repeat of last time. Speak of the devil." He muttered the last part as the door leading into the classroom opened and in stepped Wakka.

The carrot-top sauntered past the two with a chipper smile and a wave, "Morning, guys."

"Yeah, just keep walking, punk," Axel narrowed his eyes.

Wakka blinked and frowned, but did as he was told, taking a chair on the other side of the room. Hiding a grin behind her fingers, Elsa said, "My my, someone's territorial."

He shrugged before glancing at her and squinting. "Hey, you need to do a better job of cleaning behind your ears. You got something stuck back there."

Her brow furrowed. "Do I? I'm-" she stopped, her hand frozen halfway up to her ear.

Oh. She knew where this was going.

"Yup," he nodded, the corner of his eyes crinkling as he reached a hand out towards the side of her head. "Here, let me get it for you,"

She knew _exactly_ where this was going.

His fingers brushed against her ear before he pulled them back, holding up a folded paper in front of her face. He smirked, "Got it."

Her eyelids drooped as she stared at him. His smirk broadened. Sighing, she took the now all too familiar note from him and asked, "Did we learn nothing last time?"

He tapped a finger to his chin. "Sure did. I learned not to let some lunkhead take my spot."

She rolled her eyes. "What else?" She took hold of his wrist and lifted it up in front of his face, arranging his thumb and index finger to create the shape of an L.

He quirked an eyebrow at the action, but didn't comment, just let her do it. "Hm, what else? ...oh! That the teach is not a fan of Sonny and Cher."

"And?" Elsa took his other hand and had it mirror the first, making the thumbs meet in the middle right in front of his nose so that his fingers were now coming together to form a sort of U-shape.

"And… that your paper airplane throwing game needs some serious work?"

Shaking her head, she placed the note on her desk, standing it on edge between the surface and her fingertip. "Right. Like I said: Learned. Nothing."

"Hey, I think those were all valid," he shrugged, still holding his fingers up the way she had positioned them. "And really, aren't we all in a constant state of learning? I'm learning something right now in fact."

"Oh yeah?" She hunched over her desk and slanted her head sideways, shutting one eye and placing her free hand behind the little note. "And what might that be?" Holding her breath, she flicked the folded up paper and it flew up into the air, between Axel's index fingers and smacked him right in between the eyes. Grinning fiercely, she threw her hands up to indicate _goal!_

"...not to let you do that."

* * *

"I like the detective guy," Axel commented, green eyes trained on the TV set. "He's one sassy mofo."

Elsa smiled, not looking up from the task she was so diligently focused on. "Perry? Yeah, he's the best. Just wait, he gets even better."

It was now late at night, and the two could once again be found at Elsa's apartment. They had been studying for several hours and had decided to take a short break. And as everyone knew, no short break was complete without the watching of a full length movie, right? Right. Especially when said movie was one of Elsa's all time favorites and she had discovered that Axel had never seen it before. Apparently, the situation had been in dire need of immediate rectification.

They were across from the television in the living room, with Elsa sitting cross-legged on the couch. And no, it wasn't the defiled sexcouch of depravity. Luckily, there was more than one sofa in the room to choose from, and _that_ particular couch had been avoided like the plague ever since its dirty little secret had been brought to light. Axel got the feeling Elsa would quarantine the offensive piece of furniture, if she could bring herself to touch it ever again. Truth be told - and this was going off the admittedly very limited knowledge he possessed of Anna - it probably wasn't the only sofa in the room that would have it stories to tell if it could talk. Axel decided to keep his suspicions to himself however so that Elsa could remain blissfully ignorant. It was better that way. More humane.

As for Axel himself, he was seated on the ground in front of Elsa, resting his back against her knees. The reason? Why, the better for her to braid his hair with. Duh.

He still wasn't quite sure how he had managed to maneuver that one, and to be perfectly blunt, he didn't give two shits. Not at the moment. Not when he was in pure fucking heaven. He could practically hear them angels singing from up on high somewhere.

Bee-tee-dubs, Axel was a fan of having his hair played with. If you hadn't guessed.

"Oh!" Elsa exclaimed suddenly. "Sorry, did I pull too hard?"

No such thing, Sweetheart. No such thing.

Wait, what had even prompted her to ask the question? It took him a second, but then he realized he had been emitting a low noise from deep within his throat. She must have took it as a sound of discomfort, when in reality it was on the extreme opposite of the spectrum.

"Er…" Careful there, Axel. An Elsa in the wild was a timid creature, even when in the relative safety of her own natural habitat. Best not to spook her. "...nah. Just something stuck in my throat." He gave a poor excuse for a cough and pounded his chest lightly. "There, all better."

Smooth.

"Gotcha. Well, almost done here." The plait she was weaving was a little thing, barely the width of her pinky, and started just behind his left ear. He almost nodded his acknowledgement but then considered that might disrupt her efforts, so instead settled on a grunt as he focused on the movie once more. Or tried to, anyway. A minute later, he heard the snapping of a hair tie securing her handiwork as she said, "There! All done."

His hand immediately rose to run his fingertips along the tiny braid. "How's it look? Badass? Will it strike fear into the hearts of my enemies?"

"Oh yeah. Totally hardcore. Definitely the thing you were missing to pull this whole bad boy look together that you have going on," she snorted as she rose from her seat, taking an empty soda can from the coffee table and heading towards the kitchen. She called over her shoulder, "Did you want another beer?"

Lamenting the loss of her fingers in his hair, he heaved himself onto the couch and picked up his own bottle, squinting at what was left of its contents. Then he downed the last of it. He wasn't even feeling buzzed. "Sure, if you don't mind."

"I certainly don't. They're Anna's. I bet she'll hardly even notice them m-" her words abruptly stopped in a soft gasp and he heard her feet pounding against the floor back towards him. She suddenly popped into view on his right and he jerked in surprise. She was leaning over his shoulder, biting back a grin, her eyes locked on the television.

"What the-"

"Shhh," she held a finger up to her lips, not looking away from the movie. She seemed to be waiting for something. He tried to return his attention to the film as well. He really did try. But he was encountering some minor technical difficulties.

She was close. Like, _really_ fucking close. Close enough for her stray bangs to brush his cheek. Close enough to tempt him with that flawless, soft, delectable little throat of hers. Close enough to overpower his senses with her maddeningly delicious scent. Close enough to lick.

Huh. Now there was an idea. Maybe he should lick her.

...maybe he was a bit more soberly challenged at the moment than he had originally concluded.

He decided to shelve the licking idea. At least for the moment. He certainly thought it a splendid notion worth revisiting once his blood alcohol content went back down to a more respectable level.

Once he managed to tear his gaze away from the fascinating slope of of her neck, he realized her lips were currently moving with the dialogue of the movie. With some effort, he focused on what the actors were saying.

" _Jesus! Look up 'idiot' in the dictionary, you know what you'll find?_ " one was yelling angrily.

" _...a picture of me?_ " the other asked weakly.

" _No! The definition of the word 'idiot' which you fucking are!_ "

Elsa snerked, clasping a hand over her mouth and straightening up, taking her ambrosial fragrance with her. Thank _God_. "Sorry, I've always loved that line," she said, turning back towards the kitchen. "Be right back with your drink."

"No worries." He slumped down into the cushions, draping his left arm over the back of the sofa and planting his right elbow into the cushy armrest, propping his chin up in his palm. His eyes narrowed into a scowl directed at the screen. Not that he wasn't into the movie, but his mind kept toying with much more interesting ways he and Elsa could be spending their time.

His mind was a jerk. A lousy, no good, randy jerk.

She returned a few seconds later, holding a new carbonated beverage in one hand for herself. The other held his beer that she handed to him right before she sat down once more.

Right smack dab next to him.

Well wasn't this an interesting turn of events? He had expected her to sit on the complete opposite end of the sofa, if not on an entirely different one altogether. Sure, their little relationship had been progressing along quite nicely over the past few weeks. Swimmingly, even, if he did say so himself. But he hadn't realized they'd reached couch snuggle buddies status. Which was fine and dandy and all, really, but…

...what did it mean?

...should he put his arm around her? Is that what she wanted? If not, that might be a good way to lose an appendage. But then again, she _was_ the one who had taken a seat so close to him. And his arm was dangling off the back of the couch right behind her, so it was like it was already halfway there. Hell, it might be _rude_ not to. Hmmm… to cuddle or not to cuddle…

Crap. It was like Sophie's choice.

He chugged half his fresh beer in one go.

Oh good. Because that's what this current situation needed. More alcohol.

Aw fuck. Well. There _that_ was again. Her scent. He almost reluctantly breathed in the sweetness of it and suppressed a groan. If Elsa ever figured out how to bottle the stuff, she'd put the aphrodisiac companies out of business.

His brow furrowed as he attempted to concentrate on the movie once again. Instead, he found himself watching her out of the corner of his eyes as she cracked open her drink and brought it up to her lips.

Never had he been more jealous of a can of soda in his life.

Maybe he was going crazy, but he swore he could hear a bit of smugness to the pop and fizzle of the soft drink. Stupid, pompous aluminum piece of shit. Don't think you won't get mercilessly crushed against a forehead later. You won't even get recycled. That's right. It's a one way ticket to landfill city for you, asshole.

She lowered the can and Axel thought he could finally relax once again. But then she did it. The unthinkable.

She licked her lips.

Bless ye, oh sweet, naive, little one, for ye know not what ye do.

"Can I have a taste?" asked a low, somewhat gruff voice.

Wait, who'd said that? It took Axel a second to realize it had been him.

"Of course," she nodded, gaze still glued to the screen as she offered him her drink.

He took it from her, but only to bend forward and set it down on the coffee table. Then he hooked his finger under her chin and gently turned her face to his. "I wasn't talking about the soda," he murmured, eyes hooded as his fingertips lightly stroked her cheek. She felt like pure, ethereal silk, spun from the petals of roses from the Garden of Eden and woven by the little chubby fingers of freaking cherubs.

He eased his other arm around her shoulders, bringing her ever so slightly closer to him. He stared into her eyes, eyes so goddamn blue they'd turn the very skies above green with envy, before his gaze drifted down to her lips. Tracing them with his thumb, he felt their pull with every fiber of his being and he was powerless to resist. Tipping his head to one side, he slowly leaned in and-

"It hasn't been thirty-one days yet!"

Elsa's rushed, anxious words hit him like a bulldozer and he froze. Then he looked at her. _Really_ looked at her. Her eyes were wide, her face pale, and she looked completely terrified out of her mind.

...what the fuck do you think you're doing, man?

They remained that way, his lips hovering barely a centimeter over hers, for a second more. Then Axel hastily released her and scrambled back to give her as much space as possible which, let's be real here, wasn't all that much given he was already seated at the far end of the couch. He turned away, pounding a fist into the armrest while raking a twitchy hand through his hair.

What the actual _fuck_ was that? It was if his body had been moving of its own accord. As if a switch had been flipped, shut off his brain and let something more… primal take over. If he had kept going… damn it, he couldn't let crap like that happen! Not with her. Not with Elsa. With a soft growl, he punched the armrest again.

The silence was suddenly broken with a very tiny, barely audible, "I'm sorry."

With a start, he straightened up and looked at Elsa, blinking a couple times. "What?"

"I'm sorry," she repeated, eyes downcast, face heated, fingers tugging and twisting at her braid. She stammered, "I-I didn't mean to- that is, I wasn't expecting… I was just so surprised and I panicked… I wouldn't want you to think- I mean, I'm not… _opposed_ to-" her teeth clamped shut on her words, her face reddening further. Then she tried again, "I'm just… I'm sorry, and I hope you're not mad or-"

"No! No, no, no, no," Axel cut her off, reaching out towards her. He stopped himself just short of skin contact. Afterall, not respecting boundaries was what had started this whole mess. Instead, he pulled his hand back to scratch the back of his neck. "You have _nothing_ to be sorry for, and I'm most certainly not mad, not at you. I'm mad at _myself. I'm_ the one who should be apologizing."

She hesitantly looked at him now, eyebrows peaked and lower lip tucked in.

He sighed. Let's try not to royally fuck this up, shall we? "...I know you laid some ground rules for us from the start. And I readily agreed to them. It's my own fault if I don't follow them, not yours. So you don't have to feel guilty or like you have to explain yourself. I'm sorry for breaking your trust. I just…" he grimaced, pinching the bridge of his nose. Just what, man? Use your words. "...I wasn't thinking, I guess. But I'll keep a better handle on my… I'll keep it under control, I promise. I don't want you to be uncomfortable with anything, so please don't worry about it and take all the time you need. Even if it goes beyond the thirty-one days."

Elsa blinked, tipping her head to one side. "...really?"

He nodded and one corner of his mouth twitched upward. "You're worth the wait."

* * *

Anna spluttered, covering her mouth with both hands. "Can I have a _taste?_ I wasn't talking about the _soda?_ " she repeated Axel's words with a snerk. "You're messing with me. You gotta be. He did not _actually_ say those things, right?"

Axel had left some time ago, and now Elsa was in her sister's room. Perched atop the bed, she stared hard at the pillow in her lap as she picked absently at it. Maybe confiding in Anna had not been the best idea. "...he did..."

"Oh my _god_ ," Anna shrieked as she fell back onto the mattress beside her and quite literally rolled with laughter.

Yup, it was official. This had been a _terrible_ idea.

With a small scowl, the blonde used the pillow to smack her sister in the face. If anything, the redhead only laughed harder. "Don't make me smother you," Elsa threatened flatly.

"I'm sorry, I'm s-sorry," she wheezed, pushing the pillow away and trying to sit up. She failed miserably on the first attempt, but succeeded on the second, if only barely. "It's just how cheesy can you get?!"

Hugging the cushion to herself, she muttered, "Not helping."

Fighting a losing battle with a grin, she shook her head, "Gosh, you must be driving the poor guy to the brink of insanity. When are you going to let that boy off his leash?"

Her eyebrows knit together. "What do you mean?"

"Ya know," Anna hunched towards her and waggled her eyebrows, "let him give ya a little… thunder down under, know what I'm saying?"

She buried her face into the pillow. "Anna…"

With a snort, she leaned back onto her hands. "Look, I know you two set up this whole thirty-one days thing. The point was to have time to get to know one another, right? To see if you like each other? Well, from where I'm sitting, you've already accomplished that. Like, _days_ ago."

"But it hasn't even been three weeks yet."

"But you like him, right?" she pressed. "And don't even try to tell me that you don't, cuz I will so call you on that bullshit."

She narrowed her eyes at the cushion, pressing her lips into a thin line. After a pause, she finally huffed, "What if I do? That means, what, that it's high time I start putting out?"

"That's not what I was saying." Elsa shot her a dull stare, one eyebrow arched, and Anna sniggered, "Okay, that's exactly what I was saying, but I was only teasing. Listen Sis, I know you have a hard time when it comes to stuff like this, but I mean, come on, the boy was just trying to kiss you. I know it's scary, but sooner or later, you're going to need to let your guard down and let someone in." Elsa gave her an odd look and Anna tipped her head to one side. "What?"

"Nothing," she shook her head. Honestly, she had never expected something that actually sounded rather... _insightful_ to come out of her sister. Perhaps Axel was right. Perhaps Anna was more mature than she gave her credit for. Perhaps Elsa didn't need to be such a mother hen to her anymore. Regardless, that was a thought for another time.

Returning to the matter at hand, she mulled over what Anna had said. "...maybe that's the problem. That I _did_ let my guard down. I mean, I…" she pursed her lips, twisting a lock of her pale bangs around her finger as she took a moment to gather her thoughts. "...I really enjoy his company. A lot. I feel comfortable around him, and… well, besides you, I haven't had that with another person in a very long time. Or ever, really. His friendship became very important to me is such a short time, and I've gotten so used to having him around already that I… I don't know… forgot, I guess, for a moment, that this all started with the possibility of this going somewhere… _more_."

"And are you still okay with that? Were you bothered by what he tried to do?"

"No, not at all," she shook her head rapidly, then hesitated. Fingers fiddling with the pendent on her necklace, her eyes darted to the left as she mumbled, "...I actually… almost kind of regret making him stop…"

Her eyes lit up and she smirked. "Oh snap, you've finally done it. You've hit puberty!"

That earned her another pillow to the face.

"In any case," Elsa grumbled as she went on, "he was very apologetic and understanding afterwards. He said that he wanted me to be comfortable with everything and that he was willing to wait. But…" she trailed off, looking down at her hands.

"...but you're worried he might just be saying what he thinks you want to hear," she filled in the blank.

With a frown, her head declined further. "...maybe it's not fair, but I still remember his reputation from before. What if… I'm not as important to him as he is to me? What if all he wants is just…"

"Aw, sweetie," Anna cooed, reaching out and taking hold of Elsa's face between her hands, forcing her to meet her eyes. "For what it's worth, I don't think he's going through all this just to bone you."

Well, that was an awkward thing to hear while your sister was tenderly cupping your face. Still, her heart was in the right place. "...you think so?"

Her head bobbed. "Mhm! I don't just think so, I know so!"

She worried her bottom lip between her teeth before asking slowly, "How can you tell?"

"Sis, I've been at this for a long time. I can tell when a guy wants to hit it and quit it, and when he's pining for you to be his future baby mama. Trust me, you have that boy wrapped so far around your little finger that it'll take years to unwind him. It's in the way he looks at you, as cliché as that might sound. It's a cliché for a reason. He's got it for you _bad_."

She couldn't help a faint blush nor the smile that began to tug at the corner of her lips. However, it swiftly faded. Sure, she did highly value their friendship, and maybe she did _like_ him… but… "...what if I don't?"

"Don't what?" she looked at her quizzically.

"...what if I don't… got it for him bad back?"

Anna's head rocked back a bit and she blinked a couple times before deadpanning, "You're joking right?" A beat. "Seriously? You haven't realized that you-" her words were lost as she suddenly burst out with laughter again, making Elsa jump.

A crease formed between her eyebrows. "That I what? What's so funny?"

Stifling her giggles the best she could, she shifted her hands to pinch her sister's cheeks instead as she said, "Oh sweetie, you're so clueless. Nevermind though, don't worry about it. You'll figure it out in time. I have faith."

"Um, sure… okay, whatever you say, weirdo." Elsa rolled her eyes. "In the meantime, would you mind doing something for me please?"

"Anything, Sis. Name it."

"Could you let go of my face?"

* * *

_**Author's note:** Yay, we start to see evidence of Elsa slowly growing more comfortable around Axel - thus, the hair braiding xD And oh gosh, the "taste" scene had me blushing so hard while writing it (EVEN THO NOTHING HAPPENED GAWD I'M SUCH A LIGHTWEIGHT WHEN IT COMES TO FLUFF), but I hope it turned out okay xD It was so cheesy, I needed to break it up afterwards with a (hopefully) humorous sisterly bonding scene! Bonus, we got to explore Elsa's feelings on how their progressing a bit too xD All in all, I think this chapter turned out alright, hope you agree!_

_BTW, the movie the were watching is **Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang** and it is A-FRIGGING-MAZING, so if you haven't seen it. Go watch it. NOW._

_Oh gosh... the next chapter is finally here... I'm both excited and dreading it, guys. I'm not... gonna say anything else about it, I don't wanna give anything away, but... you're in for a BIG surprise I think, and I'm just really really nervous xD Soooo I'm gonna let you sit on THAT for a week and hope it drives you all up the wall with curiosity xD_

_I'm sorry guys, no fun facts this week! I did get your questions and I'm eager to answer them, but this week was hectic with work and tooth problems and juuuuuust... bleh! I hope to have some answers ready for you guys by next week!_

_Special thanks and much love to everyone who left comments! Thank you one and all for reading, hoped you liked it, please leave feedback and let me know what you think! Be back next week!_


	15. Day 18

_**Author's Note:** If I had a blush emoji rating system for how flustered a chapter I wrote made me, with ./ / /. being not very and ./ / / / / /. being HELLA, this chapter would get a:_

_./ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /._

_What else can I say about this update other than... I'm sorry. Or maybe... you're welcome?_

* * *

Elsa was normally a morning person. With the ridiculous amount of hours she put into her school work, she also tended to be sort of a night owl. An unhealthy combination, to be sure. But her education came first before all else, especially something as measly and trivial as her own well-being. Afterall, no pain, no gain, right?

However, even the most stalwart of early risers just needed to chance to sleep in from time to time, and Elsa was no exception. Thus it was on this fine Saturday morning that Elsa could be found still in bed, passed out several hours after she would have usually been up. She had been burning the midnight oil a little too often lately, and after the brutal exam she had taken yesterday, she was sorely in need of a day of rest.

Alas, it was not to be.

Her phone went off with a loud chime that had her bolting upright with a start. Then with a groan, she scowled tiredly and rubbed her heel of her palm into one eye. Ug, why hadn't she muted the damn thing? She picked it up, first checking the time. 9:14AM? For the love of…

Then she checked her alerts to determine what had set it off and found a text from Axel. She breathed out a sigh through her nose. Why, oh why wasn't she surprised in the slightest? She tapped the notification.

_Psssssst_

That was it. The whole message. In all its verbose, sophisticated glory.

She rolled her eyes. Come on now, it was _Saturday_. Weren't Saturdays supposed to be sacred or something? She switched her phone to silent and put it back down on her nightstand. She didn't care what he wanted, it could wait another hour or two. She then rolled over and tried to drift back off to sleep once more.

Key word: tried.

She heard her phone vibrate. She ignored it, pulling the sheets over her head. Exactly thirteen seconds later, it did it again. Then again.

...and again.

It did it ten more times before she relented with a soft growl and snatched her phone up once more, reading through his texts.

_Hey_

_Hey_

_Hey lady_

_Lady_

_Hey lady. Lady_

_Lady_

_Hey_

There were more, but you get the picture.

Her left eye twitched. He thought he was being cute. Instead, she was finding the idea of strangling him more appealing by the second.

Her phone buzzed in her fingertips once more.

_Aight every1 lets play the game "lets see how hi we can count b4 elsa wakes up!"_

She quirked an eyebrow at that. What was he-

The device pulsed again, showing his latest message, which was just the solitary number _1_. A brief pause, then a _2_ appeared in his next text. Followed by a _3_ shortly thereafter. She blinked. Was he seriously going to-

Buzz. _4_

Elsa was just about to throw her phone across the room when there was a knock at her door. She froze, then slumped and sighed. Really, was trying to get a few extra Z's asking for too much? Apparently, yes. The universe scoffed at her, a mere mortal, and her pitiful desire for sleep. Dragging herself out of bed, she plodded her way over to the door and opened it.

Anna awaited her out in the hall, standing in her duckling-print pyjamas and greeting her with a chipper smile. "Ah, so you _are_ alive!"

She blinked blearily, looked down at herself, then looked at her once more. "...you really missed your calling by not majoring in forensic sciences."

The ginger giggled. "I'm just not used to being up before you, so I got worried. You feeling sick?"

"Fine. I was trying to sleep in," she yawned. She felt her phone vibrate against her palm a couple more times.

"Oh! ...huh. Yeah. That makes a lot of sense. Oops." Anna looked down, poking her index fingers against each other. "Sorry."

Waving it off, she stifled another yawn. "It's okay. Couldn't sleep anyway." Thanks to a _certain_ someone.

Buzz.

Perking up, Anna said, "I've brewed a fresh pot of coffee if you'd like some."

"Please." She followed her sister out to the kitchen, where she placed her phone on the countertop while she retrieved a mug from the cabinets and poured herself some of the divine black ichor of life. As she did so, her phone shook several more times.

Anna arched an eyebrow at it. "...Axel?"

Taking a long, slow draught from her cup first, she simply said, "Yup."

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

"You gonna answer it?"

"Nope." She was curious to see how long the doofus would keep it up.

"Okay..." she said, drawing out the last syllable. "So anyway, I was thinking it's been a while since you and I hung out."

Elsa furrowed her brow. "Aren't we hanging out right now?"

Buzz.

"No, silly," she heard Anna respond as she checked her phone. Axel's count was already up to 29 and climbing. "I mean like _really_ hang out. Like go out, do something, spend more than ten freaking minutes together. You've just been so busy with your studies, I barely get to see you at all anymore!"

She nibbled her bottom lip. Had she been spending more time than usual cramming lately? It didn't feel like it… Shaking her head, she said, "Sorry, I didn't realize. To be fair though, you have been out practically every night with Hans."

Anna smirked and shrugged. "What can I say? I'm like a drug, the guy can't get enough of me. But that's besides the point. You know what we need? A girls night! No boys allowed."

Buzz. Buzz.

Thinking it over as she took another sip, she smiled. "I'd like that. How does tonight sound?"

"You don't have another study session with that boy toy of yours?"

"No, he's got work. And I suppose I could use a break, so my night's wide open."

Buzz.

"Great!" she chirped. "It's a date! Alright, do you need the bathroom? I'm about to hop in the shower."

"Knock yourself out." She watched her sister skip off, they heard her phone pulse again. Exhaling heavily, she picked it up and scrolled through his texts, rolling her eyes. He was now up to 47. She was sorely tempted to let him keep it up and hit his data limit. The dork would probably do it too. Eyelids drooping, she finally gave in and tapped in a reply.

_I'm going to kill you._

There was a brief pause before he got back to her.

_Well good morni sunshine 3_

_I have a vry important question 4 u_

Her lips pursed to one side.

_What?_

She knew she was going to regret this as she watched the ellipsis bounce up and down on her screen, indicating he was typing something back to her. Finally:

_Do u like me? Check 1:_

_[ ] yes [ ] no_

Face planting into the counter, Elsa didn't write back. She simply pushed her phone away. Far, far away.

* * *

"You have no idea how excited I am to finally get to check this place out! I've been meaning to go for a while now, but just never had the time. I hear their chocolate mousse is absolutely to _die_ for!"

Slamming the car door shut and locking it, Elsa grinned at her sister's enthusiasm. She had just parked her vehicle on the street and was now letting Anna lead the way, watching her do more bouncing than walking down the sidewalk as they headed towards wherever their destination was. Obviously, Anna had picked the place out for their ladies night. It was some sort of restaurant or club… or maybe a somewhat upscale bar? Anna hadn't really given her many details, so Elsa didn't know all that much about it. Well, beyond the fact that, apparently, their chocolate mousse was to die for.

Chuckling, the blonde asked, "What did you say this place was called again?"

"Membres Seul," she answered with a lift of her chin, rolling the R.

Elsa tipped her head to one side. If she was not mistaken, that was French. Now, her French was a bit rusty, but it sounded like it was… Members… Alone? No, no, that wasn't right… Members Only? Yeah, that sounded like it could be it. Unfortunately, it did not shed much more light on where exactly they were going. French cuisine was a strong possibility though. "Sounds classy?" she ventured.

"Oh yeah, it's hella classy. It's got class coming out the wazoo."

Well. Hard not to be convinced with a ringing endorsement like that.

As they continued along, Elsa looked into the window of a store they were walking past. She came to a slow stop as she realized it looked very familiar. "Hey! I've been to this cake shop before. Axel brought me here once. He works somewhere nearby." Maybe he worked wherever Anna was taking her? He had said dinner theater after all, or something of the like.

Anna came to a stop as well, eyes lighting up and a sly smirk forming on her face. "Does he now? How very... _interesting_."

She cocked an eyebrow at that. Had Anna had the same thought as her? If so, was it really all that interesting? Sure, it would be a coincidence, but nothing too exciting beyond that.

"Man, they're packed," Anna said, peering in through the window of the little cake boutique. "Huh. Wouldja look at that. It's practically nothing but lady customers in there. Makes sense."

"Why do you say that?" Come to think of it, the place had been crowded when Axel had brought her there as well. If memory served, she was pretty sure it had all been women that night too.

"No reason!" she trilled innocently before taking hold of her sister's wrist and giving it a tug. "Come on, we don't want to be late for our reservation!"

With a frown, she stumbled as she was pulled along behind the redhead. "Anna… what aren't you telling me?"

"And spoil the surprise? Nu uh. Not happening. You'll find out soon enough, Sis!"

Why did she suddenly have a bad feeling about this?

A few more steps and Anna was leading her through the entrance of Membres Seul. The establishment did look rather fancy, with lush carpets beneath their feet and sparkling chandeliers hanging overhead. Anna checked in with the Maître D' - a rather attractive looking man in a tux that was well fitted, almost overly so - who then led them to their table.

The room they were brought to was large and somewhat dimly lit, but still definitely had a grand and high end feel to it. There were many tables, dressed in extravagantly embroidered linens and occupied by other patrons, plus what looked to be a large stage towards the back with a couple of metal support beams built into it and velvety curtains hanging behind them. So it looked like there was going to be some sort of performance after all. Their table was positioned close to the stage, directly in front of the right support beam. The Maître D' pulled out their chairs for them in a very gentlemanly fashion as they took their seats.

Perusing the menus that had been left with them, Elsa frowned. "Anna… this place only serves desserts and alcohol."

Not looking up from her own menu, Anna nodded. "So? What's your point?"

"I haven't had anything to eat since lunch. I need real food."

"Aw, come on, live a little. Treat yo self."

"But-"

She elbowed her older sister in the shoulder. "We'll get you real food later. Now shaddup and order something with lots of whip cream already."

Glancing over the menu a second time, she snorted. No problem there. She'd be hard pressed to find something on it that _didn't_ come loaded with whip cream. When their waiter came to take their order a minute later, she settled on the chocolate mousse. After all, it was supposedly to die for.

"I'm so happy we decided to do this," Anna hummed contentedly after the waiter walked off. "Thanks so much for coming out with me. I've really missed this. Just hanging out, doing the whole sister bonding thing and having a good time."

Elsa couldn't help smiling. "Me too. I-"

"Oh!" she piped up, clapping her hands together excitedly as the lights dimmed further and a hush began to fall over the room. "The show must be about to start! Shhh, no more talking!"

Hm. So much for sisterly bonding.

Shaking her head with a chuckle, Elsa turned her gaze to the stage as a male voice boomed out of speakers from somewhere overhead.

" _Ladies and gals. Princesses and queens. Contessas and sultanas. Duchesses and empresses. We humbly welcome you tonight to Membres Seul, where we desire nothing more than to pleasure and delight you."_

As a cheer went up around her, Elsa clapped lightly, a crease forming on her brow. Well, that certainly had been a lot of synonyms for female. Listening more closely to the whoops and shrieks that now filled the air, she realized it sounded like it was nothing but women. Huh… odd.

" _And now,"_ the disembodied voice went on silkily, _"we eagerly invite you to indulge in all the sights and sensations we have to offer."_

A silhouetted figure walked out onto the dark stage and posed just as a spotlight lit him up. He filled out his well tailored tux very nicely as he stood there, tall and regal in his top hat, both hands clasped on top of a cane that he had stabbed down into the floor in front of him. He too, like the Maître D', was rather handsome, with a chiseled jaw and prominent cheekbones.

" _At home you might be underappreciated and neglected, but tonight let us worship you like the goddesses you are and give you the tender loving treatment you deserve."_

Two more shadows stepped out from behind the curtains to flank either side of the first before they were hit with spotlights of their own. These men posed in their tuxes as well, one with his arms folded over his breast, the other with his left hand hooked on his lapel and his right tucked into the pocket of his pants. Gosh, they were both pretty as well. Had to be something in the water around this place.

" _There's nothing we won't do just for you."_

Another pair of silhouettes strode onto stage, this time moving towards the posts standing on opposite ends of the platform. Elsa watched as the one closer to their table reached his destination, kicking his leg up and wrapping it around the support beam as he leaned back.

Well now, that didn't seem like a very structurally sound thing to do.

A light shined down on him as well, revealing yet another hunky adonis in a tuxedo. She was seriously beginning to wonder what the deal was with all the gorgeous. It was almost as if-

" _Let us be good to you."_

And then it finally clicked.

It clicked just as "It's Raining Men" came blasting on and all the performer's shirts came tearing off.

"A _strip club?_ " Elsa hissed out through her teeth as the room exploded with screams and squeals around them. "You brought me to a strip club?!"

"Uh huh," Anna nodded, grinning as she bit her lower lip, eyes glued to the now topless men thrusting and gyrating on the stage no more than five feet in front of them.

"Jesus, Anna," Elsa groaned.

How had she not realized this sooner? How had she been so blind? All the clues had been there as plain as day. The hordes of women. The beautiful men. And those "support beams"? Try _stripper poles_ , as one of the… ahem, _entertainers_ was so enthusiastically demonstrating currently by grinding against it.

Another realization abruptly dawned on her. Dear lord, even the name was an innuendo.

Membres Seul.

Members Only.

_Members._

Anna suddenly slapped down a huge stack of ones onto their table, jolting Elsa out of her mortifying epiphany. She blinked down at the wad of cash, then blanched. "Those aren't…?"

Her younger sister grinned deviously. "For shoving into g-strings? Oh, hell yes."

"Oh god," she muttered, unwittingly returning her gaze to the stage. She realized her mistake too late. She tried to look away. She really did. But she instead found herself helplessly continuing to stare at the performance, taking it all in in painstaking detail with her wide, unblinking eyes. It was as if she was in a trance, their pelvic sorcery having ensnared her.

That is right up until all five dancers spun around in unison, grabbed their own butts and jiggled them about.

Nopety nope.

In the blink of an eye, Elsa had bolted out of her chair, across the room, and into the nearest safe haven she could locate: a ladies' restroom.

It was very spacious and divided into two rooms. The first was some sort of lounging area, with giant floor length mirrors and several elegant, yet whimsical sofas decorating it. There was a large archway that led into the second room containing the stalls and sinks, which all appeared to be sculpted from black marble. Elsa paid none of it any mind as she began wringing her hands and pacing around the sitting area.

Okay. So. Now she was in a bathroom. Cool.

...what exactly had she hoped to accomplish by coming in here? No clue. There wasn't even a window for her to escape out of. So she was trapped. So… yeah.

A moment later, the door banged open and Anna stomped in, planting her fists on her hips as she came to a stop and narrowed her eyes at her sister. "Missy, you march your ass back out there this instant."

Elsa stopped her pacing in a spot that put one of the couches between her and Anna. Crossing her arms, she snapped, "No."

Scowling, Anna darted around the sofa in an attempt to grab her, but Elsa ran in the opposite direction, keeping the piece of furniture between them. Coming to a halt once more, the ginger whined, "Come on! Those boys are very sexy, and you're hurting their feelings by not watching them take their clothes off!"

"Oh gosh. I don't know how I'll ever be able to live with myself now," she deadpanned, before pinching the bridge of her nose. "Why on earth did you even think it would be a good idea to bring me here?"

"I just figured since Axel had awoken something in you-"

The blonde spluttered, "He did _not-_ "

"-that you and I," she stubbornly pressed on as if she hadn't been interrupted, "could finally enjoy some good, old fashion, wholesome male stripping together. You know, your average, everyday stuff all sisters normally bond over."

She blinked. "Um. There are so many things wrong with that statement that I lost count."

With a huff, Anna feinted to the left before dashing to the right. Not fooled, Elsa took off once again and managed to stay ahead of her sister, the two of them circling the couch a couple more times before stopping on opposite sides once more. Trying to catch her breath, Anna panted, "Ugh! Sis, quit being such a baby!"

"Just because I don't particularly feel like watching men prancing around in their underwear- _eep!_ " she squeaked as her sister vaulted over the sofa and lunged at her. Stumbling backwards out of her grasp, she turned and sprinted out the door.

And straight back into the belly of the beast. The exotic dancing, six-pack sporting, teensy thong wearing beast.

She came to an immediate and screeching halt, rapidly shaking her head and taking a step back. Then she spun around and all but dove back into the restroom. The door hadn't even fully closed behind her however before Anna tromped out, struggling to drag a very reluctant Elsa out with her by the hand. The younger sister was stronger and was gaining ground, but the older latched her free hand onto the doorframe, bringing them to a lurching stop. The two of them would have probably been making quite the scene in front of the rest of the patrons if there weren't far more fascinating things taking place on the stage.

"Come on, Sis! Leggo!" Anna snarled, leaning back as she pulled on Elsa's arm, putting all her weight into it.

"No!" she glowered. Her fingers held fast to the doorframe. She wasn't budging from this spot, even if Anna ripped her arm out of her socket, which it felt like she very well might.

With a huff, she stopped pulling and glared at her sister. "Fine. I thought you might act this way, so I came prepared." She released her hold on Elsa's wrist, who would have bolted back to safety if not for those cryptic words. Pulling out her phone, Anna began swiping her thumb across her screen, grumbling, "I didn't want to do this, but you've left me no choice." Then she held up the phone in front of the blonde's face.

She squinted at the screen for a moment. It displayed a photo of a stuffed doll - the creature was vaguely humanoid, sewn together from white fabric and covered in plushie spikes and wore a rather stern expression for being a child's toy. In the picture, it was tied to a chair hostage-style and a newspaper displaying today's date rested in its lap.

"...Marshmallow?" Elsa breathed in horror.

Anna smirked triumphantly. "Watch hot guys strip down to their tightie-whities with me or the snowman gets it."

She frowned, shifting her gaze from the phone to her sister. "You monster. You wouldn't dare."

"Try me."

With a pout, she looked away and snapped, "Fine! Let's get this over with. But I want him back the minute we get home."

"I knew you'd see it my way," she purred, pocketing her phone once more and walking back towards their table, expecting Elsa to follow, which she did silently. "I do this for your own good, Sis. You'll thank me one day, trust me."

Rolling her eyes and still remaining quiet, she sat back down in her chair in front of the stage. On the table beside her, it seemed her mousse, topped with what looked to be about a pound of whip cream, had been delivered while she was gone. It smelled heavenly, but she found she didn't quite have the appetite for it anymore. She stared down at her hands hard as they fidgeted in her lap. Anna cleared her throat, and when Elsa looked at her, the redhead nodded expectantly towards the stage. Sighing, Elsa slowly, grudgingly lifted her eyes back up to the show.

It seemed the opening act had come to an end and now two new guys were entertaining the crowd. The one closer to where they were seated had black hair tied back into a ponytail that fell down to his waist. He was tall, with a rough around the edges kind of look. He wore an eyepatch, cowboy hat and boots, chaps, a black leather thong and nothing else.

Rocking his hips sinuously, he twirled a pistol with a ridiculously long barrel in one hand and used the other to tip his hat to the ladies, which earned him a couple shouts. Then he took off the hat and held it over his crotch, thrusting several times, and that got the crowd really riled up. Flipping the hat back up on to his head, he now lowered the pistol down in front of the thong, pointing out, and… heh, cocked it before pretending to fire it out into the crowd with a few more thrusts. He then spun around, showing off just how assless those chaps really were.

Jesus, this place was a circus.

Elsa turned her attention to the other dancer, who was further away on the opposite end of the stage performing for the other half of the room. She squinted. He seemed to be doing… magic tricks? Or rather, _sexy_ magic tricks, judging by the reactions he was getting out of his audience. He was, unsurprisingly, sans top except for a silver bowtie and had on a pair of black pants that were, er... shall we say, quite snug. He had bleach blonde hair that was shaved close to the head, a goatee, and shimmering under the many lights overhead were his silver pierc-

"Shit," Elsa hissed, hunching down and grabbing the "Water is precious" sign on their table and doing her best to hide behind it. Which was not very successful at all, given how tiny the placard was.

Anna whipped her head around at that, eyes round. She herself tended to curse like a sailor, so she was no stranger when it came to profanity. But that had to have been the most vulgar word she had ever heard come out of her very PG sister's mouth. She snorted, "Well well, seems like our boy Axel has been a bad influence on you." She gave her the thumbs up. "I like it. So, what seems to be the problem?"

"That guy," Elsa whispered, still hiding behind the tiny sheet of plastic. "The blond one. I know him."

She looked to the man in question. "Who, Gambit?"

Her brow furrowed. "Gambit? No, his name is Luxord. He's in Axel's frat." What if he saw her? What if he recognized her? What if he told Axel he had seen her in a place like this? She'd never live it down.

Shaking her head with a grin, Anna said, "Okay, first of all, out there he might be Luxord, but in here he is Gambit, nothing more than our dancing slave boy who must obey and answer to our every girlish whim." She reached over to press down the sign Elsa was using for cover. "Second of all-" she narrowed her eyes as her sister snapped the sign back up into place. With a huff, she yanked it out of Elsa's hands, who made a small noise of protest. "Second of all," she tried again, "it's very dark in here and there is a lot of spotlights shining down into those strippers' eyes. I bet they can't even see anything but shadows beyond the end of the stage."

Still reaching for the conserve water placard that her sister was holding out of her reach, Elsa frowned. "...you think so?"

"Well, looks like we're about to find out."

Luxord and the cowboy stripper were swapping sides. As Luxord strut his way closer to their table, he twirled a deck of cards along his fingers. Every now and then, he'd take a card from it, slide it down his shiny abs and in and out of the front of his pants before flinging it out into the squealing audience with a flick of the wrist and a wink.

Really? This is what women actually found sexy these days? Elsa would never understand her gender.

As he came to a stop on the edge of the stage now directly in front of them, she shrank down into her seat, doing her best to spontaneously manifest the ability to turn invisible. No such luck. With a wolfish smirk, his gaze swept over the crowd, Elsa flinching as he seemingly made eye contact with her. But his eyes kept roving without the slightest pause or hint of recognition… perhaps Anna had been right?

She was left little time to ponder it before Luxord tossed his remaining cards into the air and ripped his pants off as they showered down around him. A flimsy g-string in a glittery silver to match his bowtie was now the only thing between him and bearing it all to the world. The girls around her, Anna included, erupted with whoops and catcalls as his pelvis began to swing from side to side. Then he folded his arms behind his head and started to-

Oh good grief. He was doing the damn dancing pectorals thing again. Elsa bit down hard on her knuckle.

Don't laugh, don't laugh, don't laugh.

Thinking back to when she first met him, Luxord being a stripper actually explained a lot.

Elsa spent the remainder of his performance struggling to suppress her laughter so as not to draw attention to herself. She tried to cover her eyes at one point, but Anna hadn't let her. Finally, _finally_ , the music came to an end and Luxord and the cowboy disappeared behind the curtains. Oh gosh, how much longer did she have to be subjected to this? She had been out of the bathroom for a grand total of five, maybe ten minutes, but it already felt like it had been an eternity. She silently prayed for it all to end soon. Looking on the bright side, now that she was past the little Luxord surprise, the worst of it had to be behind her now, right?

Unfortunately for her, she was about to be proven wrong. Oh so very, very wrong.

As the lights dimmed down again, that deep, husky voice from earlier permeated the air around them once more. _"Hope you brought some ice with you, ladies, because things are about to heat up real quick in here."_ A fog machine must have been switched on behind the curtains, for now dark, smoky clouds started billowing out onto the stage. _"No warm welcome is needed for this next smoldering lothario, for he's already so hot he's on fire."_ The stage took on a soft, red glow just as a bright spotlight beamed down at where the curtains met in the middle. _"Give it up for Ash, the Flurry of Dancing Flames!"_

Someone behind the curtains grasped hold of them and whipped them apart with a flourish. Standing there now, smirking like the devil himself as the women welcomed him with shrieks and screams, was Axel.

...wait, what?

There was no mistaking him. Tall, lithe form. Bright red hair. Winged eyeliner with those little slash marks painted underneath each eye. Did it have to be spelled out? A-X-E-L. Axel. It was Axel, okay? Freaking _Axel_ came sauntering out into the center of the stage before her. Elsa gaped.

A black, brimmed hat sat atop his head and a choker was wrapped around his throat. Hugging his chest was a tight, silky business-looking vest in a rich red that shimmered under the lights. His toned arms were bare except for a garter on one bicep. He wore sleek black pants that left very little to the imagination.

As the cheers gradually began to die down, he bowed his head, casting his eyes into pitch shadows beneath his hat as his crooked grin stretched wider. Then the music began pounding out of the speakers.

Okay… _what?_

He stretched both arms skyward and crossed his wrists over his head. Planting his feet apart, he bent his knees and started slowly, suggestively rolling his hips in time with the music. His whole body undulated with the movement, like a flickering fire. Then he leisurely slid his hands down his chest before reaching to pop the top button of his vest open.

What… was even happening?

"I-Is that…?" Anna's stunned voice began.

"Yes," Elsa croaked out, mouth dry, eyes wide.

"...he's here… at-?"

"Uh huh."

"He's a...?" she trailed off.

Stripper. The word you were looking for. It's _stripper_.

"...y-yes?"

"Did you kn-?"

"No!" she tried to snap, but it came out more of a squeak.

Axel tortuously took his time unfastening the second button. Then he abruptly ripped the vest the rest of the way open, bearing his chest to the screaming crowd. And a very, _very_ nice chest it was indeed, but then, Elsa was already well aware of that fact.

He spun around, pulling the vest from side to side as he lazily lowered it, coyly revealing the tattoo on his muscled back. Slipping it the rest of the way off and facing his admirers once more, he whipped the garment out and around and ran it back and forth between his legs a couple times. Then he twirled the vest around before tossing it out into the crowd. Running a finger around the rim of his hat, he removed that next and flung it in another direction. He blew a kiss out to the audience before abruptly dropping and humping the stage floor in fluid, serpentine motions. It was… actually quite mesmerizing.

"Oh my!" Anna giggled, causing Elsa to twitch and her cheeks to warm. She'd almost forgotten for a second that her sister was here as well. Watching her- gosh, what was he? They still didn't really have a name for it. Her… study partner? No, he was more than that… her suitor? Oh god, no. Her… well, her Axel. Yes, watching her Axel… "perform" while Anna was present was _really_ uncomfortable.

Springing back up to his feet, he eased into some slow, rolling pelvic thrusts. He ran one hand through his hair while he used the other to hook a thumb into the waist of his pants, tugging them down an inch, teasing the squealing audience. Letting them slip back up into place, Axel winked and flashed that wicked little smirk before prowling over to one of the stripper poles. Then he kicked a leg up high - like, _really_ high, like holy-cow-how-did-he-not-just-dislocate-something high - before wrapping it around the metal post.

"Unf. Flexible," Anna muttered. "You sure I can't borrow him just for a night?"

Cripes.

Instead of dignifying that with a response, Elsa buried her burning face into her hands.

Was this even real life? This had to be a prank. She had to be on something like Candid Camera. Where was the recording equipment hiding? Whatever. They were trying to make her literally die from sheer awkwardness and embarrassment. Well, she'd show them. She just wouldn't watch. Ha, that'd teach them.

. . .

She peeked out between her fingers.

Axel was currently hanging by his firm grip on the pole, doing the splits… sideways. As in, one foot dangling towards the ground, the other stretched way up high over his head, toes brushing against the metal.

Anna let loose a low whistle before commenting, "That one's called the Banana Splits!"

Was steam coming out of Elsa's ears? It certainly felt like it, the way her cheeks were boiling.

She squeezed her fingers shut, blocking out the show. It did nothing to shut out the wolf whistles and hollers of the women around her. In no time, her treacherous, traitorous curiosity was doing its damnedest to get the better of her, needling at her, whispering for her to take another look. Nu uh. No way. Not happening. Suck it, curiosity, go kill a cat or something. But then, before she even realized what was happening, her fingers were creeping slowly apart once more, as if they had minds of their own.

Et tu, phalanges?

Begrudgingly accepting that she seemed to have no say whatsoever in the matter, she finally gave in and peered out at Axel again. He had now straddled the bar while twirling around it upside down, his long legs splayed apart wide into a V-shape.

"And I believe that one is the Chopper!" her sister chirped.

Elsa looked at her incredulously. "How do you know this stuff?!"

She just shrugged and grin, seemingly very self-satisfied with her knowledge of pole dancing positions. Axel arched and twisted his body, swinging himself around the bar. When he came to a stop, he had stretched himself out parallel to the ground, now defying gravity to basically execute what appeared to be a sideways handstand, supported by nothing more than the power of his arms braced against the bar. Oh, and witchcraft. Definitely witchcraft.

"And that's known as-"

"I don't need to know!"

Sighing dreamily as she continued to watch, Anna planted her elbow on the table and rested her chin in her palm. "Mmmm, that's some impressive upper body strength your man has. He could bench press me any day."

"Anna…" she groaned.

"Hm?" she hummed distractedly.

Floundering for a bit, Elsa finally asked, "What about Hans?"

"Hans? Hans who?"

" _Anna!_ "

She burst out into laughter. "Oh, relax, Sis. I'm only messing with you. I know you've got dibs."

Was it possible for cheeks to spontaneously combust? "I don't- that's not- I'm just-" she stammered eloquently.

"Lookit you, all flustered," Anna cooed, pinching her sister's face. The blonde immediately swatted her hand away.

Axel became a blur of movement as he contorted gracefully around the bar several more times. His blazing red hair whirled about erratically with the motion. Round and round he went, faster and faster, until he abruptly stopped, one leg hooked around the pole at the knee, the other with his foot braced beneath it as he leaned out at an angle. One hand grasped the metal post for support while he had the other outstretched over his head, something held within his grip.

….dear lord, the thing he was holding was his _pants_.

Besides his choker and his garter, the only thing he was wearing now was a thong. It was red. It was sparkly. It was-

Oh good god, there was some serious thrusting action going on again. Face all but bursting into flames, she hastily averted her gaze just as she heard a very appreciative, "Well, hellooooo!"

Her sister. Anna was now grinning from ear to ear and perched eagerly on the edge of her seat as she watched. Elsa's wide eyes darted from her, to Axel, and back and forth a few more times. Then she snapped her hand up to block her sister's vision. The redhead frowned and slapped the offending hand down.

Whipping his pants around high overhead, he flung them out into the audience where they smacked Elsa full on in the face. With a muffled yelp, she dragged the item down into her lap where she blinked at them a couple times.

...what on earth was she supposed to do with them?

She hesitated before beginning to smooth the pants out, then absently bent them in half and creased. Then she halved them again. Then she froze.

Was she really sitting in the middle of a strip club _folding clothes?_ Could she _be_ any more awkward?

Shifting his grip, Axel twisted around and swung his legs forward and back, giving himself enough momentum to launch off the pole, flip midair and land in a squat on the stage. Back facing the crowd now, he slowly rose, popping his rear end up first and the rest following after. Spreading his arms out to either side of him, he wheeled them to meet high over his head, shaking his backside as he did so.

Do he got booty? He d-

Nope. Can't do it. Just can't.

Spinning on his heel, he wriggled his shoulders as he slunk backwards towards the curtains. Listening to the music pick up, it sounded like this was it. The grand finale. His muscles visibly tensed a split second before he sprung forward down the runway and threw himself into a one-handed cartwheel. He took the opportunity while upside down to perform the front splits again, just in case his audience had forgotten just how limber he was. Then he tucked his legs in to land and slide on his knees, gouts of fire bursting up from the edges of the stage in his wake. As he slowed to a stop, he pumped his fist into the air with the last explosive note of the song.

The thunderous applause and screaming from the women around her nearly knocked Elsa out of her chair. She watched as he rose to his feet, puffing from the exertion of his performance, before giving several slow, exaggerated bows in different directions. Given the view from behind, she got the feeling that the bending over wasn't necessarily just for the benefit of those he was currently facing.

Clearing her throat, Elsa went through the motions of clapping as well, but very softly, as if she feared even the slightest sound would pull his attention directly to her. At least it seemed Anna's assumption that the dancers couldn't see very well out into the darkened room had been further confirmed, for he had not seemed to notice her yet. Or if he had, he hadn't given any sign of it. This didn't stop her from squirming any time his gaze swept the crowd on her side of the room. Thank goodness he would be leaving soon!

Just as he finished receiving the adoration of his crowd, he turned. Elsa presumed it was to make his exit behind the curtains. Instead, he walked over to the edge of the stage close to her table and knelt down. She twitched.

That didn't look like leaving. In fact, that was the exact _opposite_ of leaving.

He hopped down off the platform and onto the floor with the audience.

Damn it, Axel, you had _one_ job!

It took every ounce of Elsa's willpower not to crawl under her table to hide. Anna's vice-like grip on her shoulder keeping her firmly in her seat helped a bit too.

Okay, breathe. Just. Breathe.

Why was he down here now? Had she been mistaken? _Had_ he seen her? No… he still seemed oblivious to her presence, as he wasn't moving in her direction or even looking her way. But then, what was going on?

More men in various states of undress began to walk out, both from behind the curtains on stage and from doors down around the audience area. Included among them were the ones from the opening number, the cowboy, and Luxord, the latter moving to stand beside Axel.

" _Now we invite you to play a little game, ladies,"_ the announcer purred out from the speakers once more. She was really beginning to hate that damn voice. Elsa watched as Luxord handed a black strip of cloth to Axel. _"Think of it like Marco Polo, except with a much more… gratifying climax."_ Axel covered his eyes with it, wrapping it around his head and tying it in the back. Several other men were doing the same. _"The rules are simple. We've blindfolded our gentlemen. Call out and entice one of them over to you."_ Luxord was now clipping something onto Axel's choker… oh gosh, was that a leash?! _"Keep in mind, ladies, that the more enthusiastic and louder and eager you sound, the more likely one of our gents will come over to give you his undivided and generous attention."_

The room immediately erupted into chaos as other patrons started shouting out to the strippers. It was pure anarchy.

...okay. No, this was good. Great, actually. Axel couldn't see right now. Which meant he couldn't see _her_. Her body began to relax bit by bit. All she had to do was sit here, not make a peep, and wait for one of the other exuberant customers to call him away. Then calmly wait for the insanity that was this night to finally draw to a close. That's it. Just wait quietly and-

A sudden, sharp whistle pierced through the rest of the commotion, followed by, "Yo, Ash!"

Heart feeling like it had literally flatlined, Elsa whipped her head around to find Anna on her feet, hands cupped around her mouth, trying to get Axel's attention. Her sister took a deep breath and tried again, "Hey, A-"

In the space of a heartbeat, Elsa had tackled Anna to the ground and clamped both her hands over her mouth. She shook her head rapidly, her eyes pleading with Anna. In response, the redhead bit her.

Ah, sisterly love.

With a yelp, Elsa pulled her hands away, giving Anna the opportunity to worm her way free and stand up again. The blonde scrambled to get up as well, but it was too late.

"Hey, Ash!" This time, Axel's head jerked in the direction of Anna's voice and Elsa froze, eyes round. With a manic grin, Anna called out, "That's right, I'm talking to you, Red! Strut that fine ass of yours over here!"

No further encouragement needed, he started blindly heading towards their table. Anna clapped gleefully while hopping in place. Elsa stood paralyzed, mouth agape as he drew near. Taking advantage of her stupor, Anna shoved her older sister back down into her seat, before glancing his way again. "That's it, big guy," she guided him, "right this way. Little bit closer."

When he got close enough, Anna took hold of his leash and pulled him a few steps closer. He began reaching up to untie his blindfold, but she stopped him with a couple taps on the nose. "No, no, Hotrod," she cooed, "keep it on."

He dropped his hands to his sides, flashing a grin that promised all sorts of naughty little things and chuckled, "Kinky."

Elsa just continued to stare, eyes unblinking.

Was this really happening?

He leaned in closer to Anna, tipping his head to one side as he murmured, "So, what can I do for ya, sweetheart?"

"Oh, it's not for me." Anna craned her neck to look down at her sister with a wicked gleam in her eye. "It's for my friend here!"

...oh fudge.

"Oh really?" he smirked, turning his head to one side in an attempt to face said friend. "And what's your name?"

Elsa gulped and said nothing, just darted her anxious gaze back and forth between the two redheads. They were not going to get one word out of her, not one single word, not if she could help it. Thankfully, Axel hadn't seemed to recognize Anna's voice yet. Elsa was sure as hell not going to give him a chance to recognize her own. Axel couldn't know she was here. He must have had his reasons for not telling her he worked in a place like this, and she respected that. He'd probably tell her when he was ready. Until then, he didn't need to know she knew.

...that, plus she was pretty sure she couldn't speak at the moment even if she wanted to.

"You'll have to excuse her," Anna chimed in after a stretched out pause. "She's a bit nervous. It's her first time in one of these places."

His smirk broadened. "I see. Shy, hm? Well, I'll have to see what I can do to coax her out of her shell."

"Mmm, I was hoping you'd say something like that. Alright, Beefcake, she's right over here." Giving the leash a good tug (and looking like she was enjoying doing so way too much), Anna led him over to stand in front of Elsa.

And still all she could do was gawk.

Jeez, he was tall. Had he always been this tall? Well, duh. What kind of stupid question was that? But somehow, he seemed taller than usual. Could it be because he was almost entirely naked? Did being ninety-five percent nude have that effect on people?

Or maybe it's just because you're sitting down, genius.

His muscles were slick from sweat. Leftover from his performance, possibly? Or perhaps he had just been oiled up for the show? That was a thing at strip joints, right? So then which was it? Sweat or oil? Sweat or-

Her focus on these very important questions in need of answers was broken as Anna shoved the leash into her face. She blinked at the cord, then glanced up to give Anna a blank look. Rolling her eyes, Anna took Elsa's hands, dropped the leash into them, then closed her unresponsive fingers around it. Beaming down at her, Anna pat her on the shoulder and mumbled, "You're welcome," before returning to her seat.

She stared dumbly down at the leash she now held within her grasp.

...what do?

She was saved from having to figure that one out. That was the good news. The bad news was what had saved her turned out to be Axel hooking a finger under her chin to lift her head as he bowed forward, bringing them nose to nose. As her eyes locked on where his would have been under the blindfold, she could hear the devious smirk in his low voice as he whispered, "Hi."

Her face flared up brighter than a red carpet on fire.

It was a good thing she had lost her voice. She wasn't sure what sound she would be making right about now if she could, but she imagined it would have been something akin to hysterical, high-pitched pterodactyl screeches.

His fingers gently grazed her cheek and down one side of her neck, leaving a tingly trail of goosebumps and heat in their wake. She shivered. Even without his sight, he was clearly well aware of her reaction, if the toothy grin he wore as he straightened up was any indication. Then he eased himself onto her lap, straddling her legs, and her heart all but launched up into her throat to strangle her. Oh god, he wasn't going to start-

Yup. There he went, er… gyrating away.

...look at him go…

Jesus Christ, how did she end up here?! And how was she supposed make it stop? Was there an off switch somewhere? This was too much for her, her heart couldn't take it and she was beginning to fear if she blushed any harder, her face would get permanently stuck that way.

Elsa began to shrink down in her seat. _Bad idea!_ She hastily, clumsily sat up straight once more, her back rigid. Ahem… that had been a little more up close and personally than certain parts of her were willing to get with certain parts of him at this point in the relationship.

She looked to her sister, silently begging to be rescued. However, Anna seemed a little too distracted by the roll of Axel's hips to notice her sister's distress, at least right away. When she finally did, she cocked her head to one side thoughtfully, then gave Elsa a reassuring nod.

Her chest fluttered with hope. Was she about to be saved?

Anna grabbed a handful of ones from the pile of munny she had left on top of their table earlier. Then she leaned over and slipped them down the back of Axel's g-string. Her fingers lingered around his rear a few seconds longer than was necessary before she pulled her hand back, threw Elsa a thumbs up and mouthed the word 'nice!'

…why, Anna? Anna, no…

Frustrated, Elsa mouthed 'help me' back at her.

Anna furrowed her brow at that. She tapped a finger to her chin a few times before she snapped her fingers with a smile. She then scooped some of the whip cream off the top of Elsa's mousse and flung it so it hit Axel on the left side of his abs. Elsa blinked, then shot a bewildered glance back at her sister. In response, Anna's lips formed the words 'lick it off."

That's it. You're officially disowned, Anna.

Returning her gaze to the bit of whip cream now sliding down his torso, she grimaced. Licking it off him was not an option. No way. Not happening. But she couldn't just leave it there either, could she? Fidgeting, she looked down and spotted his pants. She had left them neatly folded on the table beside her. Hesitating, she gingerly picked them up and used them to begin awkwardly dabbing the cream away.

Anna facepalmed.

She had just finished cleaning it up and was about to retract her arms when Axel's hands snapped up and closed around her wrists. With a squeak, Elsa dropped the pants and they fell into her lap. Pulling her hands up slowly, he gently pressed her palms to his chest before taking his time guiding them downward. Was it already stated what a nice chest he had? Because if not, it was an _extremely_ nice chest. Especially while it continued to undulate in such smooth, steady, fascinating waves. Down and down he led her fingers, over his rippling pecs, chiseled abs, past his navel-

Wait. Just where was this little journey going?

Just as they reached his waist and showed no signs of stopping, she panicked and jerked her hands out in opposite directions. His hold on her wrists caused her hands to curve back around and instead land squarely on his butt.

"Oh. A girl who knows what she wants and goes for it. I like that," Axel laughed.

Her cheeks instantly ignited into magma. Like seriously, this is what Pompeii must have felt like.

She attempted to snatch her hands back and was able to do so as Axel released his hold this time. However, her success was short lived. He stepped back off her lap and hooked his freed up hands under her knees, pulling her forward to now position himself between her legs before lifting her up off the chair. Being left with little choice in the matter, she frantically latched her arms around his neck for support as he swung her around to sit her on the table instead.

There, he used his grip on her legs to pull her closer, pressing their bodies up against each other. Her heart raced as he dipped his head, bringing his lips to hover over the side her throat, not touching, but only barely. She shivered again, biting her lower lip as she felt his breath warm her neck, the corner of her chin, before coming to a stop just over her ear. "Relax, darling," he chuckled huskily, causing her insides to coil into a billion knots. "I know it's your first time. I'll be gentle." He inhaled deeply before continuing, "You smell nice… like-"

And then he froze, and she could feel every muscle in his body tense. He straightened up quickly, a frown now on his face, his eyebrows knit together. "...Elsa?" he asked, hooking a thumb under the blindfold to lift it just enough to peer down at her with one eye.

Damn shit balls shit crap shit shit shit fuuuuuuuuuuuuuu......dge.

Heart pounding in her ears, her body sprung into action, moving faster than her mind could keep up. She scrambled and all but fell off the table, ready to run as if her very life depended upon it. She didn't make it more than a few steps however before she felt his hand closing around her own. His grip was gentle but strong, causing her to stumble. Regaining her footing quickly, that gave her enough leverage to yank her arm free from his grasp, the force of it spinning her on her on one foot. She steadied herself by planting the other foot firmly on the ground behind her, stopping her long enough to see the confusion on Axel's face, the questions in his eyes. Fear seized her chest and dread surged through her. She turned once again and took off.

Not two seconds later found her hiding in the ladies' restroom for the second time that night. But she was not going to make the same mistake she had made earlier. No, she'd learned her lesson the first time. Anna was not going to be able to drag her out against her will this time. Not with Elsa having locked herself in one of the stalls.

Huh. So this is what being a mature, rational adult felt like.

Panting from a mixture of her mad dash and anxiety still pumping through her veins, she leaned her back against the door for support. She felt her heart going a light year a second as she clutched her hands to her chest. Then a crease formed on her brow. Wait a minute… what was that strange fabric she felt clutched _within_ her hands? She looked down and flinched.

Oh for the love of… she was still holding onto his fricking fracking stripper pants!

She was sure she had dropped them, but she must have snatched them back up again in her mindless panic. As she glared down at the offending garment, her head jerked up at the sound of the main restroom door opening and someone walking in. The soft tip-tap of footfall grew louder and she turned to watch a shadow on the ground stretch out under the locked door as the person came to a stop outside her stall.

"Elsa?" Anna's voice asked cautiously, followed by a few light knocks. "Come out the door, Elsa."

Silence.

Anna snorted, "Please. I know you're in there."

"Go away, Anna," Elsa grumbled.

There was a pause. Then, "Okay, bye." The sound of footsteps again as the shadow shrank away, followed by the soft _whump_ ofthedoor to the exit closing. All fell quiet once more.

Elsa narrowed her eyes after a few seconds. "...I know you haven't really left."

A muffled curse, then stomping as Anna charged up to the stall door once more and banged her hand against it, causing it to rattle. "You come out this minute or I'm coming in after you! So help me, I'll crawl under the door if I have to!"

"Try it. Hope you like getting a foot in the face."

Anna huffed out an irritated growl, but then it was followed by a drawn out, defeated sigh. "...look. I'm sorry, okay? I may have let things get a little out of hand."

"A little?" she scoffed, rolling her eyes. Then she shook her head. "...did you know beforehand?"

She watched as the shadow's head tilted to one side. "Know what?"

"That he worked here, did you know?"

"No!" she answered quickly. "I mean, when you mentioned earlier that he worked in the area, the thought did cross my mind and I thought it would be funny-"

" _F-funny?!_ " Elsa stammered, feeling like a vein in her forehead was about ready to burst.

"-but seriously, I had no idea he would be showing up on that stage tonight, much less that it would end in him giving you a lapdance."

Her lips took on a sour twist. "Even though you're the reason it did end that way."

"...alright, guilty. But I promise, that's _all_ I'm guilty of."

"You sure?" She peeked out of the crack between the door and the stall wall. "If you're lying, if I find out that you had any idea-"

She watched as Anna pressed one blue eye to the other side, meeting her gaze. "I swear, I didn't know!"

Staring at her hard for a few seconds more, she begrudgingly relented at last. "Fine. I guess I'll accept your apology."

"Thank you," she said, relief coloring her voice. "Are you ready to come out now?"

Elsa frowned as she took a step back. "...I think I'm going to need another minute," she muttered finally, massaging a finger into one temple as she took a deep breath, attempting to calm her still rattled nerves.

"Fair enough." There was a brief lull. Then Anna broke the silence in a chipper sing-song, "Well at least some good came out of all of this. We learned that you, Sis, are one lucky lady."

Elsa blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Your man is seriously packing. You know, below the belt."

And just like that, her cheeks were made of molten magma once more. Closing her eyes and leaning her forehead against the cool surface of the door, she muttered, "Anna… that's probably just part of the costume."

"You think so?" she heard her ask, her voice skeptical. "I'll bet you five bucks it's not."

She released a weak snort, "And how exactly were you planning on finding out?"

"Well, from you of course. After you two, ya know," she made a clicking noise with her tongue, "seal the deal."

"Oh my god, Anna!" she banged her head against the door.

"What?"

"Even if I were to, ah… find that out-"

Her sister snerked and it echoed around the bathroom. "Pffft, _if?_ "

Rolling her eyes, she continued, "-what makes you think I would tell you?"

"Why _wouldn't_ you?" She sounded completely aghast and offended at the very notion.

"Well, you don't tell me stuff like that about Hans, do you?" she reasoned. Ah logic, her savior.

"I figured you didn't want to know! I'll gladly share all the juicy deets! Let's see. For starters, he's got a really-"

"For the love of god, please don't finish that sentence," she blurted out quickly. Logic had failed her. She should have expected as much. When it came to Anna, logic didn't stand a bloody chance.

She heard the sound of the bathroom door opening abruptly and the footsteps of someone new entering. Elsa's chest constricted and she held her breath. Oh please, please, _please_ don't let it be-

"Can I have a minute?" a very familiar voice asked.

Great. Just perfect. Apparently, _nothing_ was sacred anymore. Not her Saturdays. Not the girls' restroom. Nothing. Not where Axel was concerned anyway.

"Sure thing, _Ash_ …" Anna said, and Elsa could practically hear the smirk in her sister's voice. She watched as Anna's shadow retreated, listened to her walking away. But then there was a pause to her steps. "...one quick question though, then I'm gone like yesterday, promise."

Elsa frowned. What could she possibly-?

Oh no.

Oh. _No_.

Don't you dare! Don't you do it, you little-

"You stuff the thong or that all you down there?"

Elsa's cheeks upgraded from magma to surface of the sun status in exactly zero-point-two seconds flat. She tried to yell, but instead it came out as a strangled, gurgling noise in her throat.

Dear Earth. If you could kindly open up and swallow Elsa right now, that would be really appreciated. Thanks.

She heard him snort. "Sorry, toots. Wouldn't want to ruin the mystique."

"Rats. Oh well, play nice you two." With that, the sound of the restroom door shutting could be heard, and it was a safe bet her sister was now gone.

Way to make things hella awkward before splitting. Brat.

She watched as Axel's shadow now appeared beneath the stall door before moving off to the right. There was silence for a few seconds, before he finally asked, "Could you come out please?"

"No," she scowled petulantly, tracing her finger absently around the doorhinge. "I'm never leaving this stall. This is my home. I live here now."

He breathed a chuckle. "Well, it'll be nice having you so close to where I work. I can visit you on my breaks and stuff," he replied good naturedly. She said nothing. After a long moment, he heaved a deep sigh. "...please come out," he pleaded softly. "We should talk, and I'd really like to do it face to face."

It was very tempting to continue being obstinate. And for the space of a few heartbeats, she seriously considered doing just that. However, with a slump to her shoulders, she finally gave in. "...fine."

Fanning her face a bit in a futile attempt to cool it off first, she reached for the lock, hesitated, then slid it out and slowly opened the door. He was leaning one shoulder against the stall divider to her right, arms crossed over his chest.

He greeted her with a small smile. "Hi."

"...hello," she mumbled. Unable to meet those intense green eyes of his for very long, she looked down. He was now wearing a white button-up that had only one button haphazardly and crookedly fastened, with a pair of black slacks that were the very antithesis of loose. "...you're dressed."

He arched an eyebrow at her, one corner of his lips turned up. "Well duh. What'd you think, I'd still be standing around in a g-string?"

God damn it, face, stop trying to out-red a tomato already. It's not a freaking competition.

"...maybe? How should I know? I've never been in a strip club before, I don't know how things are run around here," she said defensively.

She heard the door open again and looked up as some strange woman walked in who instantly froze, eyes darting between the pair of them. Probably one of Membres Seul's many customers just needing to touch up her makeup or something. The lady glanced at the door, which she was still holding open, to confirm the sign did in fact show the symbol for female. Then she wordlessly looked at Axel again.

He frowned back at the stranger and grumbled, "Do ya mind?"

Her back stiffened, then with a harrumph, the lady turned heel and went back outside.

Elsa lowered her gaze and was reminded that she still had his pants, as she was currently wringing the life out of them. Clearing her throat, she offered them to him. "You, uh… dropped… these…"

Awkward penguin is awkward.

Rubbing his knuckles over his lips, the corners of his eyes crinkled before he took them from her. Then he took her hand in his and led her over to the lounge portion of the restroom. He took a seat on one of the couches, having her do the same on a sofa opposite to him so they were facing each other.

He hunched forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he closed his eyes and scratched a spot behind one ear. Finally, he said, "I'm not ashamed of what I do."

She blinked a couple times as she stared down at her hands folded in her lap. "...okay? I… don't think you should be? And it's not like I… judge you for it either…"

He gave her a small, lopsided grin. "Huh. Could have fooled me, what with the way you looked, I dunno, absolutely horrified?"

Her eyes darted to the left. "Why didn't you tell me this was your job?"

"I was going to eventually. But this whole thing you and I have going is still kind of new. And it's not exactly like it's the kind of thing you say when breaking the ice. 'Hi, my name is Axel, I like long walks on the beach and take my clothes off for money.' Plus, I was worried it might be the type of thing to freak you out." He planted his chin in the palm of his hand, arching an eyebrow at her. "Given how tonight went, hard to argue that I was wrong."

She frowned, rubbing an elbow. "It's not what you do, but rather how I found out."

"So you're telling me if I had told you upfront, you would have been okay with it?" he asked flatly.

She looked him square in the eyes now and said without hesitation, "Of course."

Axel rocked back in his seat slightly, both eyebrows shooting up his forehead. Didn't expect that one, did ya, wise guy? Eventually he snorted with a shake of his head. "What were you even doing here tonight? This is not exactly your scene, chica."

"Do you really have to ask?" she muttered, gaze downcast once again.

He tipped his head to the side, before realization dawned on his face. "Anna," they both said at the same time.

With a tiny scowl, Elsa went on, "She wanted to have a girls night, but didn't tell me where we were going. I didn't figure it out until the opening chorus of 'It's Raining Men' came on."

"Oh no," he groaned, biting back a grin.

"Yeah, I still feel really stupid that it took me so long. I wanted to leave, but Anna… coerced me into staying." She elected to leave Marshmallow out of this. She'd been embarrassed enough for one evening, thank you. "Then... _you_ came out. Anna swears she didn't know you worked here, but I'm still not sure I'm entirely convinced. Anyway," she cleared her throat again, annoyed at the warmth she felt returning to her cheeks, "...well, you know the rest."

Nodding carefully, he pursed his lips to one side. "Fuck, your sister's evil."

"Tell me about it."

He huffed out a soft laugh, leaning back in his seat. "So… do you have any questions for me?"

Eyes shifting about uncertainly, she asked, "Questions?"

"About my job? Is there anything you want to know?"

"Um…" She should have questions, shouldn't she? If there was ever a thing to have questions about, this would probably be it. And she was sure there had been hundreds swirling around her mind before. But now given the chance to actually ask them and being put on the spot, she was drawing a complete blank.

Alright, brain. Questions. You got this. Come up with some questions. Any question.

...sweat or oil?

...brain, you're fired.

"How about I start? Hm, let's see here," he rapped a knuckle against his chin in thought. Then he snapped his fingers. "Alright, here's something: I've never slept with a customer."

The bluntness of that statement made her choke. "That never even- Why would you- Are there strippers that actually _do_ that?!"

He shrugged. "Yeah. Few of the boys here do it all the time. But there are some lines even I don't cross."

"Yeah, that sounds like a real sleaze move," she cringed. Then her brow furrowed. "Wait, does Luxord-"

"Do you really want to know the answer to that?"

She grimaced. "Yeah, probably not." She had a feeling she knew already anyway. Okay, this conversation needed to be steered away to something a little less gross. "Uh, so, how long have you been doing… this?"

He pondered that with a low hum. "A little under a year, I'd say."

"Wow, that long?" she asked, cocking her head. "Huh. You know, thinking about it, it actually seems to make a lot of sense, you being a stripper."

Snorting, he said, "Gee, thanks?"

She winced. "No, I mean, like… you're really outgoing. And a huge flirt. This just seems like a good fit for you, I guess. Is that why you got into this line of work?"

"Actually, believe it or not," he raised a finger, "I used to be a bit of an introvert."

Her nose scrunched up a bit. "Yeah, right."

"It's true. Now, I didn't exactly shun society like you do, but it was still pretty bad."

"Okay… what's that have to do with becoming a stripper?"

His shoulders bobbed up and down. "Had to get over my shyness somehow."

Her eyes snapped up to meet his, fixing him with a dull stare. "And you thought _this_ was the way to go about it?" He just shrugged again. Squeezing her eyes shut, she pinched the bridge of her nose. "That has to be the most ridiculous-"

"It was Luxord's idea."

"Why am I not surprised?" she shook her head.

Axel grinned. "Now, I'm not defending it or claiming that it's the type of thing that'd work for everybody. But it worked for me. Luxord might be a total wank that's a few scones short of a tea party, but every now and then he has his moments. I may be one smooth operator now, but before? I had the social skills of an amoeba in polite company. And talking to girls? Forget about it."

"What made you want to change?"

He rubbed the back of his neck, glancing up at the ceiling. "I guess… suddenly the idea of being able to talk to a girl became... very appealing."

"Ah." So it had been about a girl. Should have known. "So then, why do you still do this? You're certainly no wallflower anymore."

"I didn't plan to stick with it originally, but it's actually kind of fun and turns out I'm pretty good at it. I wasn't at first, not by a long shot, but I don't know… guess I just got sort of into it. But mostly, the munny's good and I use it to help pay for college."

Elsa frowned down at her hands. "Your parents don't cover the costs?"

He slouched forward again, folding his arms across his knees. "My mom does the best she can and I love her for it, but there's only so much she can help with on a waitress salary."

"What about your dad?"

A dry chuckle escaped him. "I'll be sure to ask him for a check the next time I see him."

She blinked. "...and when will that be?"

"Any time now, I'm sure. Last I saw, he was just stepping out to pick up a loaf of bread," he grinned. "When I was five."

O...kay.

Way to drop a bomb without mercy.

"He... walked out on you and your mom?"

He lifted his shoulders once more before letting them fall. "That, or was abducted by aliens. Either way, I won't be expecting the asshole to pay for tuition any time soon."

"Oh," she said softly, hugging herself. "That's awful. I'm so sorry."

"Why? Unless you're the extraterrestrial who beamed my old man up into your spaceship, you have nothing to apologize for. We're probably better off without him, ya know? And I figure, shit happens. You either let it get to you or you get over it, and I was never really one to cry over spilled milk. Besides, there's nothing more cliché than a stripper with daddy issues," he snerked.

Huh. Either he really had moved on or he was really good at repressing. With him, it was hard to tell.

Scratching his cheek, he said, "Anyway, we've gotten way off topic. Did you have any other questions about what I do?"

She gnawed her bottom lip, before shaking her head slowly. "Not at the moment, no."

"Well, feel free to ask any time, I don't mind." A beat, then, "Alright, here's a question for you. We okay?"

"Yes," she murmured, dipping her head further as she studied the pattern on the carpet. "Why wouldn't we be?"

He bowed lower, so that their eyes were now level, forcing her to meet his gaze. "Because you haven't been able to look me in the eye for more than two seconds since I came in here."

Her back stiffened, then she averted her gaze (again), struggling against the heat creeping back up into her face. She was determined not to let the blush happen. "It's nothing. I just… I don't think I'll be able to look at you for a few days without… thinking about…"

...about Ash, the Flurry of Dancing Flames.

"Ah," he straightened up, grinning broadly. He seemed _way_ too pleased with this revelation. Smug jerk. "Maybe that's not such a bad thing."

Quirking an eyebrow, she asked, "What do you mean?"

His smirk turned toothy as he winked. "Think of it as a sneak preview."

She gave him a blank stare. Then she buried her face in her hands, muttering, "Oh jeeze."

"Yeah, like a trial run. Oh," he brought the side of one fist down into his upturned palm, "or maybe more like an interview, ya know, to see if I'm suitable for the position you're hiring for."

"Please stop talking."

"But we haven't even gone over my qualifications yet. Not to toot my own horn, but I am very good at what I do. Once I can properly seduce you, you'll be in for a real treat."

Welp. So much for not blushing. "Please. Just stop."

"I could give you references, if you'd be interested," he said brightly.

"Not even a little bit."

"You sure? I-"

"Can we please just talk about something else?" she snapped.

He frowned thoughtfully for a second before the grin returned, this time with a sly twist. "Then shall we discuss the fact that you totally grabbed my ass?"

Total core meltdown in three, two…

Elsa shot up to her feet, shouting, " _Anna!_ "

"I mean," he went on as if she had not said anything, "it's not even like it was just an accidental brush. You full on groped me. Got a real good handful there. Never woulda guessed that da booty was your thing."

Anna peeked in through the restroom exit. "Yeah, Sis?" she asked innocently. As if she had not had her ear pressed up outside that door the entire time.

"We're leaving," she said, sweeping past Axel.

He turned in his seat and began, "But-"

"But what?" she challenged, turning to narrow her eyes at him.

"That's it." The corners of his lips stretched wider. "Butt."

Her eyelids drooped.

Oh Axel. How shall Elsa kill thee? Let us count the ways.

His roar of laughter followed her out as she left the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her.

* * *

_**Author's Note:** Ehehehehe, so... yeah... THAT happened. I was very, VERY awkward writing this chapter, does it show? Cuz when I get awkward, I make stupid jokes. And I made a LOT of stupid jokes this chapter xD Thus resulting in a chapter that is a very odd mix of humor and (I hope?) sexy._

_BUT, if there's one very important thing we learned this chapter, it's that Elsa's narrator absolutely REFUSES to drop the f-bomb._

_Fun facts - I knew Axel had a job ever since I started writing this story, but I had no idea what it was going to be. I was originally thinking something less exotic, like a waiter or something. Then while writing chapter 9 (when they went to the cake shop) the idea hit me out of nowhere and I just started blushing and giggling like an idiot, being all "...Nope! No way, I couldn't do that... could I? ...NO! Absolutely not! ...but then maybe... Nooooo! Stop it! ...but what if-" etc etc, round and round in endless circles. I was just... I didn't think I could do it - write Axel being a stripper that is, cuz I'm such an awkward penguin. But the more I thought about it, the more I loved the idea and thought it seemed to really fit and had such great potential for the story and our lil couples' ever blossoming relationship, so I finally gave in and... well, you see the result xD I've been dropping little hints ever since chapter 9 too, did anyone pick up on those and begin to suspect what his actual job was? And I swear, my face felt like it was going to explode from all the blushing the entire time writing this stupid chapter, gawd. It's my first time writing anything like this ever, I would really appreciate it if you guys would let me know if it turned out at least halfway decent!_

_Anyway, writing this chapter required a lot of... research... ehehehe xD Sadly, real male strippers are actually kind of disappointing, I've discovered. Male pole dancers, however, (which don't necessarily have to be strippers) exceeded expectations :3 All of Axel's pole dancing moves are based on real moves I've seen on youtube xD Also, further research was required and I may have watched Magic Mike more than once *side eyes and sweatdrop* lawl. Even tho real male strippers are rarely like they are in Magic Mike, I DUN CARE!_

_You may have noticed that I didn't name the song Axel was dancing around to. That's cuz at the time of writing this chapter, I was having trouble finding a song that would fit. Hey man, stripper tunes are serious business, yo! So I left it purposely vague. It wasn't until long after I finished the chapter that i_ _t hit me... **Hot Stuff**! That's what he should be dancing too, I felt so blind xD So unofficially, that's what he's dancing to! Officially, just imagine whatever song you want lawl._

_Also, in case you hadn't noticed, this is my longest chapter yet! Not just in this story, but ever. Period. Apparently, I have a lot to say about Axel stripping xD That probably says something about me..._

_Alright, I know I said I would answer your questions this week, but as this AN is already pretty long, I think I'm putting it off another week. I'm really sorry guys, but I'm pretty sure answering your questions would double this and pretty soon, this AN would be as long as the damn chapter! Next week's AN shouldn't be nearly as long, so I promise to have your answers then!_

_Finally, some saddening news, guys - I only have 2 more chapters done and ready for posting after this update. THOSE ARE NOT THE LAST 2 CHAPTERS OF THE STORY - we still have a ways to go here, with several more chapters to come. BUT what this means is that I'll no longer be able to make my weekly updates, and will just be updating as I finish chapters. Sorry guys, I would have had more ready to go, but I got distracted by one-shots - first **Closer** which I posted a couple weeks back, and now I'm working on another one-shot CUZ I'M FLAKEY AS SHIT. But don't worry, I will continue to work on this story and it will be finished one day, but now you shall truly see what a snail I am when it comes to writing._

_ALRIGHT I'M DONE RAMBLING! Special thanks and much love to everyone who showed support for my little story! Thank you one and all for reading, hoped you liked it, please leave feedback and let me know what you think! Until next week!  
_


	16. Day 21

The sunlight streaming in through the window was bright. Like, really bright. Way brighter than it should have been this early in the morning. It wasn't even half past six yet. Elsa knew this, even in the groggy mush that was her brain currently, for that was when her alarm was set to go off. Said alarm had yet to ring, thus it couldn't possibly be any later than that.

With visible effort, she raised her heavy head a couple inches to squint at the clock just to be sure. 8:02AM. See? Nothing to worry about. Plenty of time before she had to be up. Yawning, she buried her face back into the pillow and let sleep begin to reclaim her once more.

Not three seconds later, the sheets flew off her as she bolted upright. "It's _eight?!_ " she yelped, grabbing the clock to check again. Seemingly indifferent to her distress, it ticked to now display 8:03AM. Gritting her teeth, she scrambled out of bed, threw on a hoodie, shoved her phone into her pocket, and dashed out the room.

"Anna, wake up! We overslept and are late for classes!" she called, banging a hand on her sister's door a couple times before running to the kitchen. She jammed a couple of slices of bread into the toaster and started to make coffee, but in her rush ended up spilling water and scattering grounds everywhere. No time to clean it up now, it would just have to be dealt with later.

Realizing Anna had not left her room yet, she frowned. "Anna! Wake your butt up already!" No response. With a sigh, she marched out of the kitchen with every intention of dragging her sister out of bed kicking and screaming if she had to. Halfway across the living room however, her eyes glanced out the window and she froze.

Eh? Was something… missing…?

Then she gasped. "My car!" Anna completely forgotten for the moment, Elsa practically tripped over her own two feet in her mad sprint to the front door. Opening it, she all but had a heartattack. Standing on her doorstep, balancing a couple of to-go cups in one hand, the other raised in mid-knock, was-

"Axel?" she asked, hand flying to her chest, bewilderment flashing across her face.

He blinked, then grinned, withdrawing his hand and using it to instead scratch the back of his head. "Morning, chica!"

Her brow furrowed. "What are you-?" she cut herself off with a shake of her head. "Nevermind, I don't have time for this right now. I think my car was stolen," she said, pushing past him and through the front gate out onto the sidewalk. Sure enough, the parking spot that her car called home was empty.

"Huh," she heard him say behind her, sounding remarkably unconcerned over the theft of her vehicle. "That so? Maybe you should call the police."

That was _precisely_ what she was going to do. Pulling her phone out and unlocking it, her thumb hovered just over the 9-button when she stopped, her attention drawn to the alerts at the top of her screen. She had received a text from Anna at 6:21AM. Narrowing her eyes, she moved her thumb to tap that instead.

_yo sis dnt freek but i brrwed ur car 4 a emrgncy! im sure ull fnd sum1 wlling 2 giv u a rde ;) thx luv u_

"Everything okay?" Axel asked from the other side of the high, metal fence surrounding her patio.

"My sister borrowed my car," she muttered, opening her list of contacts.

"Oh, that's good!"

She scowled at him through the steel bars.

His head rocked back a bit. "Er, that's… not good?"

Looking down at her phone again, she located Anna's number and tapped the dial button before pressing the device to her ear and walking back into her patio, slamming the gate shut behind her. It rung several times before voicemail picked up. _"Yo, it's Anna! I'm out living life to the fullest, unlike the loser calling me! Just teasing! Love you all! Leave me a message and I'll get back to your lame ass later! Peace!"_

After the beep, Elsa said, "You snot nosed brat. I'm going to seal you in a meat locker and laugh as your fingers and toes freeze off one by one, then watch what's left of you frost over into solid ice. Call me back." She hung up.

"Wow. With an affectionate endearment and loving message like that, I'm sure you'll hear from her in no time," Axel deadpanned.

She opened her mouth to say something, then stopped as she looked up at him.

Click. Lightbulb.

"You're coming with me," was all she said before grabbing him by the front of the shirt and yanking him inside her apartment.

"Yes, ma'am!" he said enthusiastically as the door shut behind him.

Releasing her hold, she asked, "You got here on your motorcycle, right?"

He nodded. "Yup. It's parked just around the corner."

"Good!" She spun on her heel, heading down the hallway and into her bedroom where she began digging clothes out of her dresser and tossing them onto her bed. "If we hurry, we can still make it to class before we miss anything important. We'll probably only be ten or fifteen minutes late," she called out over her shoulder.

"Unless you expect me to run every red light, you're dreaming."

Elsa jumped at the sound of his voice, then turned to find him standing in her room. She blinked a couple times. She had not anticipated this. Her eyes darted to the outfit she had laid out on the mattress, then back to him. Then her eyelids drooped. "...do you mind?"

His gaze also flicked between the clothes and her, before he smirked and crossed his arms as he leaned back against her desk. "Nope," he said, popping the P.

She fixed him with a dull stare. "I'm sorry, I don't recall inviting you into my room, buddy."

"You told me to come with you," he shrugged. "Just following orders."

Rolling her eyes, she asked, "Did you think I was going to let you watch me change?"

His shoulders bobbed again as his grin stretched wider. "Well, I figured since you got to watch me undress the other night, that you were planning on returning the favor. You know, fair tradesies. Tit for tat." He waggled his eyebrows.

She smacked herself in the forehead.

Dear lord. Just when she thought she had finally locked all memories of _that_ night back in the furthest recesses of her mind.

"Out," she grumbled.

"But-"

" _Out_ ," she repeated more loudly as she pulled him up, spun him around and shoved him through the door, swinging it closed with a bang.

Boys. Ugh.

"Oi!" she heard his muffled voice through the door as she hastily started tugging off her hoodie and pyjamas. "Someone is cranky in the morning."

She slid into a pair of jeans. "I'm cranky because I'm late for class."

"What's the big deal? Play hooky for a day. So what if you miss the test?"

"Test?" She paused momentarily, brow furrowed, before slipping on her top. "What test?"

"Ya know, today's test. The one only worth sixty percent of our grade."

" _What?!_ " In the middle of hopping on one foot as she pulled a boot on, she toppled over to the floor. Then she stumbled to her feet, tripped, and finally made it over to her bag where she immediately started tearing through its contents like a woman possessed, looking for the syllabus.

There was a snort and a chuckle from the other side of the door. "Got ya."

She froze, left eye twitching. Then her shoulders slumped as she released a low growl beneath her breath, muttering, "I'm going to kill that boy."

"Sorry, what was that?"

"I said," she huffed, whirling around, stomping over to the door and jerking it open, "that I'm going to kill-"

He held one of the to-go cups he'd brought with him up to her face. It smelled of coffee. Sweet, chocolatey, pepperminty, delicious coffee. The words died on her tongue as she looked at it, then up at his smug grin. "I still couldn't hear you. Repeat that for me one more time for me?"

Her lips pressed together into a thin line before taking the offered gift of caffeine. "...thank you," she mumbled, taking a sip and rushing past him back towards the kitchen.

"Mhm," he hummed, "that's what I thought." The smell of toast greeted them, and she made a beeline for the toaster as he said, "Wow, you girls live like pigs."

He was referring to the devastating aftermath of her botched attempt at making coffee that she had yet to tidy up. "That's Anna's mess." That's right. Blaming it on you, brat. That's what you get for stealing the car. Ah, sweet, sweet vengeance.

Coffee cup in one hand, Elsa grabbed the two slices of toast and stuck one in between her teeth before turning around. She came to an abrupt halt as Axel stood before her and was, once again, offering her something. It was a small white envelope. Toast hanging out of her mouth, she blinked at it. "What's this?" she asked. Or rather, tried to. Around the crisp slice of bread, it came out more like, "Washiss?"

He beamed. "Open it."

Sighing through her nose, she put her coffee down on the counter, followed by stacking the toast on top of its lid. Then she took the envelope and opened it. Inside was a card with the picture of a penguin on the front. It was waddling through some snow, wearing a scarf and earmuffs, holding a balloon in one flipper and carrying a cupcake with a candle in the other. Written beneath it in a blue, swirly font was _Happy Brrrrr-thday!_ She stared at it blankly.

Was it…? Oh wow, it really was. Today was her birthday. She hadn't even realized. How long had it been since she had received a card like this? She couldn't even remember.

"I, um…" she began slowly, clearing her throat, "...I don't… celebrate my birthday..."

Still smiling, he shrugged. "It's just a card. You can throw it in the trash, if ya want."

She supposed it… was kind of sweet in a way. Even if it reminded her that-

Her eyes squeezed shut, stopping that train of thought in its tracks. Swallowing past the lump forming in her throat, she opened the card and began awkwardly, "Thanks, that's…"

Then she read the inside.

_Do you like me? Check one:_

"...exactly where it's going," she deadpanned, holding it out over the garbage bin and letting it fall.

"Hey!" he whined. She ignored him, taking her breakfast in hand once more and heading back to her room. She finished getting ready as quickly as she could, throwing her pale hair up into a messy bun and gathering her laptop and study supplies into her bag. By the time she was prepared and jogging back out into the living room, she had chugged most of her coffee and consumed one of the slices of toast, the other still in hand.

"Have you eaten yet this morning?" she asked as she stepped up beside him.

He arched an eyebrow. "Not yet, I-" The rest was lost in a garble as she stuffed the remaining slice into his mouth.

Never let it be said that Elsa was not a hospitable host.

Something caught the corner of her eye back in the kitchen. She looked past him to discover that the birthday card had apparently been fished out of the trash and propped up on the countertop. Rolling her eyes, she turned towards the front door. "Let's go."

Even with his long legs, Axel still had to hurry to keep up with Elsa's pace as they made their way to his bike. He made the toast disappear in a few bites long before they came to a stop next to it. Throwing his leg over it, he handed his helmet to Elsa who put it on before slipping in behind him.

As he fired up the engine, Elsa was struck with a thought. It hadn't seemed that important before… maybe it was just the caffeine finally kicking in, but…

Why exactly _was_ Axel here?

He had the same class as her, the one she was currently late for. That's where he should have been. Even if he had gone to class, realized she wasn't there, and had left and come all the way to here to check on her, he shouldn't have arrived so quickly. Especially not if he picked up coffee on the way. Even then, why come all the way here? Why not just text her to ask her where she was?

Then realization slowly sank in as everything started adding up. Her alarm not going off. Her sister borrowing her car. Axel being here. The birthday card.

"...you're not taking me to class, are you?"

She already knew the answer to her own question before he gave it.

"Nope!" he chirped before twisting the throttle and racing off with her before she could escape.

* * *

"So you and Anna hatched up this elaborate, diabolical scheme to trick me, make me ditch class, steal my car, kidnap me-"

"You make it all sound so nefarious when you put it that way."

"And what way would that be? Truthful and accurate?" Elsa snorted, crossing her arms. "And all that for what? Just so I could... hang ten?"

Axel had brought her to the beach. The two of them stood in the sand, staring out into the horizon as a warm breeze played with their hair. It was a beautiful day without a cloud in the sky. It was still early enough that not a lot of people had set up towels or umbrellas along the shore yet, but there were quite a few surfers out in the water already. Which was apparently what Axel had brought her here to do: surf.

He scratched a spot behind his ear and pursed his lips to one side. "Eh… more or less."

The seconds stretched as she gave him a look, eyelids drooped, the corners of her mouth turned down. Then, "I'm leaving."

She turned to walk away, but he hooked a hand in her elbow, gently pulling her back. "Come on-"

"No," she cut him off, scowling up at him. "Just because it's my stupid birthday, you think you can-"

His hands flew up, "Birthday? Whoever said this had anything to do with your birthday? No no, this is just two friends, hanging out."

That gave Elsa pause and she scrutinized him with a frown. In response, he grinned innocently.

Right. Sure, okay.

Bull.

Shaking her head, she sighed, "What makes you think this is something I would even remotely want to do?"

"You told me you liked the beach and watching the surfers."

"Yes, _watching_ ," she emphasized. "I never said anything about actually _wanting_ to surf."

He smirked and shrugged. "So I read between the lines."

Shaking her head and sighing, she asked, "And what if you had been wrong?"

"Hmm, interesting," he hummed, and she gave him a quizzical look. "You didn't say that I was wrong, but merely asked _what if_ I had been wrong. Very interesting indeed." Rolling her eyes, she tried to leave again, but his firm hold still on her elbow made her stay put. He laughed, "Alright, alright, _if_ I had been wrong - but I think we both know I wasn't - then I would have just worked harder to find out stuff you like and tried, tried again."

She felt a slight warmth trying to creep its way into her cheeks and she quickly looked down to hide it. She wanted to argue that he was in fact very much wrong just to wipe that smug grin off his face, but she couldn't quite bring herself to say the words. Instead, she mumbled, "...I don't even have a swimsuit with me, much less a surfboard."

He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder towards a row of small buildings off to the side of the beach. "Rental shops," he said brightly.

Elsa frowned.

She could not believe that she was actually considering this.

"So, what…? Are _you_ teaching me to surf?"

"Oh, fuck no." He pointed out towards one pack of surfers. "Demyx is."

She squinted at the group he indicated. It took a minute for her to pick him out, but sure enough, there he was. Mullet Boy himself, standing knee deep in the waves, a board under one arm with a trippy design made up of squid and bubbles painted on it. He was in a black wetsuit with a blue streak down the sides and his sopping wet hair had fallen limp around his ears, which was part of the reason he had been hard to spot. Seeming to feel their eyes on him, he turned and waved in their direction with a huge smile. The ocean took advantage of his distraction, a large rush of water hitting him hard in the back and knocking him over.

"...really?"

Axel chuckled. "I know the guy's a total dork, but trust me, he's a pro at this stuff. He's practically part fish." They watched his board began to float away and make a break for the wide open sea while Demyx ungracefully flailed and splashed through the water after it. "Er, usually."

Rubbing her fingers over her mouth to cover the grin she was fighting, she asked, "What about you?"

"What about me?" His head tipped to the side.

"You're not the one teaching me, but you'll still be out there with us, right?"

"Oh-ho, no. Nope. No, no, no. No. I don't do water," he said, rapidly shaking his head. "But I'll be rooting for ya back here, where it's nice and dry on the sand."

She blinked up at him. "How does someone not _do_ water? You shower, don't you?"

"Sure, like a few measly jets and a whole goddamn ocean are the same thing."

Folding her arms under her chest, she said, "So let me get this straight. Just because you're scared of a little-"

"Woah, hold it. Back up. I never said I was scared, just that it wasn't my thing," he harrumphed, narrowing his eyes. "Either way, best you give up now, there's no way you're getting me out there."

They fell quiet as each tried to stare the other down, neither one backing off. Finally, one side of Elsa's mouth curled wickedly upward as she uttered one word. One single, solitary word.

"...chicken."

Not ten minutes later found both Elsa and Axel in the water, wearing wetsuits and straddling surfboards, her looking rather pleased with herself, him grumbling under his breath, "Feh, chicken. I'll show you who's chicken."

"And if you ever do find the current pulling you out to sea, above all else, never panic. Remain calm and raise an arm to get a lifeguard's attention," Demyx was saying. He was perched on top of his own board in front of them, and had just finished going over some ocean safety guidelines. He added gravely, "Always remember, you have to respect the sea. She can be one harsh mistress."

He apparently took his instructor duties very seriously.

He clapped his hands together. "Now on to the fun stuff: catching your first wave! First time, you'll be riding prone, because this will help you get a feel for how your board moves in the water. Start by lying down flat on your belly, like this. Don't rest too far forward on the board, otherwise when the wave hits, you won't go anywhere and will end up just falling off. Too far back, on the other hand…"

His words slowly faded into background noise as Elsa glanced at Axel out of the corner of her eyes. He was scowling down at the rippling water beneath him, as if the ocean itself had insulted him, his whole family, and every last one of his ancestors. She smothered her mouth behind her hand.

No laughing, lest he turn his ire upon her.

Served him right. This is what he got for forcing her to miss class. No one got between her and her education, _no one_. Sure, he had been trying to do a nice thing, but it was misguided, especially on today of all days. So it felt good to have justice served. And yet… she didn't feel completely satisfied. She could mess with him still, if only a little bit more.

"Hey, garçon, look," she said, shooting a hand up in front of his nose, pointing past him off to his right. "Is that a dolphin?"

"Huh?" He shielded his eyes against the sun as his gaze followed her finger.

Target successfully distracted. Initiating phase two.

She poked him in the side.

His whole body jerked and spasmed. " _Mother fu-_ " A loud splash drowned out the rest as he fell off his board.

Ah, revenge was a dish best served cold.

"Hey now!" Demyx huffed as Elsa burst out into a fit of laughter. "Were you even listening to the rules we went over not two minutes ago?"

She wheezed out between giggles, "I'm sorry! I was, I really was, but I just couldn't help myself."

He shook his head, crossing his arms, "Doing stuff like that can be really dangerous. He could have gotten seriously hurt, you know."

"Oh, I'm sure he's fine. He's right-" she stopped short, sobering up as she glanced around.

Where was he?

He hadn't surfaced yet. How long had it been since Axel had gone under? A few seconds? That wasn't really all that long, right? ...oh dear… he knew how to swim, didn't he? True, he hadn't wanted to go out into the water, but surely he wouldn't have let himself get pressured into it if he didn't even know how to keep himself afloat. The guy wouldn't be _that_ stupid, would he?

...actually, he probably would.

"Crap," she heard Demyx mutter, the same thoughts probably having crossed his mind. "Looks like I'm gonna have to save that loser's pathetic drowning ass. Don't move, I'll be right-"

Something suddenly wrapped around her ankle underwater. She let out a squeak before it gave a sharp tug, toppling her over and plunging her beneath the waves.

Cold pressed in all around her, especially against her unprotected face, where it prickled like pins and needles. Her eyes were squeezed shut as her whole world spun and she completely lost her sense of direction. Salt water rushed in through her mouth and nose and she choked in surprise, her lungs burning.

Then she felt something begin to snake around her waist. With a start, Elsa swung an arm and drove her fist hard into whatever the thing was. She heard it emit a muffled, waterlogged grunt. Then faster than she could react, warmth embraced her and she was being pulled in a direction - up, hopefully.

She broke the surface and she coughed and gasped for air. "Shit, way to sucker punch me in the gut," she heard Axel's strangled voice nearby.

Wiping the water out of her eyes, she opened them to discover his face, up close and personal. His eyeliner was apparently not waterproof as black streaks were now smeared down his cheeks. His normally spiky hair was soaked through and flattened against his head, reminding her of those big fluffy cats that seemed to shrink about ten sizes down when wet.

Oh. So he had been the warm thing that had wrapped around her underwater.

...correction. That was _still_ wrapped around her.

Clearing her throat and disentangling herself from his hold around her waist, she latched onto her surfboard and stuck her tongue out at him. "Teach you for pulling me under and scaring me like that."

Smirking, he dipped his mouth beneath the surface to suck in some seawater before spitting it back out at her. "Teach you for tickling me."

"Teach you for making me skip school," she shot back, climbing onto her board and watching as he swam back over to his.

"Teach you for being born today."

"Like I had a choice," she grumbled before narrowing her eyes at him. "You look like a raccoon."

He blinked. "Wha-? Aw hell." He began scrubbing away at his runny eyeliner.

"Are you two done flirting?" Demyx snapped, arching an eyebrow.

Blush? What blush? No, you must be mistaken, Elsa wasn't blushing yet _again_. That was clearly the start of a _sunburn_ on her face. Duh!

Looking away, she said, "We were not fl-"

"We're done," Axel piped up cheerfully as he remounted his board. With a frown, Elsa kicked water in his direction.

Heaving a weary sigh, Demyx said, "Alright, children, no more roughhousing, got it? We don't want anyone cracking a skull on a surfboard or anything. Think you can do that for me?"

Elsa wordlessly nodded while Axel saluted, "Sure thing, Capitaine. We'll be on our best behaviour from here on out!"

They weren't. Not even close.

* * *

"Admit it. You had fun surfing."

"Well, it wasn't really surfing so much as it was flopping around in the ocean in the general vicinity of surfboards," Elsa muttered, wringing out her hair and weaving it back into a braid. Having just returned their borrowed surf gear, they were exiting the rental shop.

Axel folded his arms behind his head, one corner of his lips tugged upward. Some of his red spikes were returning to their former glory as his hair slowly dried, but there was still a bit of a sad droop to them. "Call it what you will, you enjoyed yourself."

She grinned softly, a gesture she knew that there wasn't a snowball's chance in hell that it had escaped his notice. "Yeah, well… Demyx certainly didn't seem amused by the end of it."

"Eh, he's a big boy, he'll get over it," he shrugged. "I'm sure he'd be willing to try to teach you again sometime. Except without me around. I'm too much of a troublemaker."

"Mm," she hummed noncommittally. Somehow, that suggestion sounded less appealing. Pulling out her phone to check the time as they walked along the beach, she smiled. "Just past noon. If we hurry, we can grab a quick lunch, then afterwards I can still catch my afternoon class."

He flashed her a toothy smirk. "You're half right, at least."

She froze midstep before hanging her head and continuing on. "We're not done, are we?"

"Done? Whyever would you think we would be done? We've barely started."

Exhaling slowly, she groaned, "What are you plotting now, you monster."

Without a word, he pointed to the opposite far end of the beach where several giant, colorful structures stood proud and tall and impossible to miss. A massive, lazily spinning ferris wheel. A grandly tacky boat swinging from side to side. A drop tower that had just released its charge - faint screams could be heard, even from all the way over here. All with a chaotic serpentine roller coaster wrapping around it and several flashy booths crowding around the base.

"The boardwalk?" she asked blankly, to which he nodded. "...you just mean for lunch, right?"

His grin twitched wider. "For starters."

Screwing her eyes shut and pinching the bridge of her nose, Elsa said, "Please tell me you weren't planning on dragging me onto all the rides."

"What? No, of course not, don't be silly," he chuckled. "It wasn't _just_ going to be rides, we were gonna play the games too!"

Coming to a stop, she crossed her arms and lifted her chin with a small glare. "No."

Axel pouted. "Aw, come on, it'll be fun! It's the middle of a school day, so there will be hardly any people there. Besides, you said you wanted to go."

She cocked an eyebrow at him. "No I didn't. I believe my exact words were just that I'd never went."

"I read between the lines," he waved a hand dismissively.

Her lips twisted sourly. "You've been doing an awful lot of that lately. Ever stop to think that maybe the lines were there for a reason?"

"Yeah, to be read between."

She facepalmed. "And what if I refuse?"

Shoving his hands into his pockets, he shrugged. "You'd probably want to reconsider. I'd hate to have to use unnecessary force."

Blinking a couple times, she asked, "And just what is that supposed to mean?"

Shrugging again, he said, "Tossing you over my shoulder like a sack of flour and carrying you there?"

Her eyes widened as her back went rigid. "You wouldn't dare."

"Oh no?" he smirked, taking a step towards her.

"Alright, alright!" she said hastily, jumping back and raising her hands between them. "Fine, I'll go!"

"Yay!" he clapped his hands together.

Grumbling under her breath, she sighed and began dragging her feet in the direction of the boardwalk. "Let's get this over with I guess."

"Your enthusiasm is staggering."

* * *

Maybe the boardwalk wasn't half bad afterall. Elsa had always liked it, but it was more of a love from afar type thing, she had never thought she would enjoy _actually_ going. Like Axel had predicted, the place wasn't crowded at all, so the lack of people certainly helped. The food was swimming in grease but delicious. And the rides and games were actually kind of fun. _Especially_ the rides. In fact, there was one ride in particular that she had decided was her absolute favorite.

Why?

"You scream like a screeching howler monkey."

"I most certainly do not."

"Like a little, screeching baby howler monkey," Elsa clarified gleefully as their black, mechanical carriage decorated in cobwebs and skulls rolled along the track and around the corner, taking them out of the eery darkness of the Haunted Castle ride and bringing them back into the sunlight of late afternoon.

"That wasn't me," Axel grumbled, scratching his cheek. "That was… the guy in the car behind us."

Their car came to a jerky stop and she snorted as she pushed the little door open and stepped out. "Oh really? It sounded like it was coming from the guy sitting right next to me."

"The acoustics in there were all fucked up," he said, following her off the ride and back out onto the boardwalk proper.

"I see. I suppose it also wasn't you who was cowering behind that doll there."

She was referring to the little plushie he currently held wedged under one arm. A prize that had been won from one of the game booths, it was an odd little creature with a white and purple color scheme, squishy spikes protruding out along the length of its arms, and wearing a small pointy cap with a strip of cloth hanging down from it, hiding its face.

He released a dignified huff. "I was not cowering, I was making sure he could see so he could enjoy the ride too. And he's not a doll, he's an assassin."

She bit back a grin. "He's grotesque is what he is. Still not sure why you picked that one."

He held it up to his face. "Don't listen to her, Spike. She's just jealous of your natural beauty," he told the dol- erm, _assassin_. Whose name was Spike. Apparently. Something drew his attention to look past the plushie and he blinked. "Hey. Some dude over there is awkwardly waving at you."

"Huh?" she followed his gaze to spot a blonde, burly guy across the way who had indeed raised a tentative hand in her direction. He looked familiar. After a second, it came to her. "That's one of the bartenders at Mickey's."

"Oh yeah, I remember him now. It's what's-his-face…" he rubbed his chin, then snapped his fingers. "Kronk!"

She scrunched her nose up at Axel. "What? No, it's Kris."

"Eh. Close enough."

Why was this guy waving at her? They were hardly friends, or even acquaintances really, considering they had never even spoken to one another before. Did he even know her name?

As they drew closer to him, she noticed he seemed… nervous? Was that sweat running down his left temple? "Hi," he greeted them in almost a squeak. Then he brought a fist to his mouth, cleared his throat and tried again in a more natural voice, "Hello, hey, howdy, y-you two. How's it going…" he trailed off, brow furrowing, clearly racking his brain for her name.

Welp, that answered that. "Elsa," she supplied, exchanging a quick glance with Axel at the guy's odd behavior. "Fine. And you, Kris?"

"Oh, good, good," he said quickly, eyes shifting about as he folded his arms over his chest and fidgeted slightly. "And you?"

She stared at him. "...still fine. Nothing's changed since the last time you asked. You know, like… ten seconds ago."

He winced. "Right. Sure. Just… double checking. Never can be too careful. Heh."

Frowning, she asked, "Are you feeling okay?"

"Oh yeah, no, I'm great!" he said with an uncomfortably large smile. "Fantastic! Amazing! Spectacular! Won- _ow!_ " he yelped suddenly, eyes going round. Then he blinked, cleared his throat again, and chuckled weakly. "I mean, no. No, I'm sick as a dog. Been spewing chunks all day, I- _ouch!_ " He jerked violently, then scowled, turned his head to one side and yelled, "I don't know what you want from me, woman!"

Elsa jumped at his random outburst and took a small step back. "I... don't want anything?" she tried as Axel quirked an eyebrow at him. Then she spotted it. She'd almost missed it, but it had definitely been there. A flash of red that had swiftly disappeared behind Kris.

No wait, not red… _auburn_.

Things were beginning to click into place.

She tipped her head to one side. "Is there someone behind you?"

"What?" He gulped loudly, eyes darting to the left. "What a silly question. Why would you think that?"

"Oh, I don't know. Just a hunch, I guess," she murmured, trying to walk around behind him. He made a quick turn, keeping his back firmly pointed away from her.

Not suspicious at all. Nope.

He released a tiny, uneasy laugh. "Oh, you. I think I would know if someone was standing right behind me."

A small smirk tugged at one side of her mouth as she crossed her arms. "I'm sure you would," she said as she took a step to the side. He pivoted again to remain facing her. Another side step, another pivot.

Axel remained where he stood, watching the strange little dance take place as Kris slowly turned his back to him. Once the blonde had turned enough for Axel to see what, or rather who, was behind him, he grinned down at the person and raised a hand to waggle his fingers. "Hi, Anna!"

"Traitor!" the familiar voice of her sister snapped and a fist shot out from beyond Kris's back to sock Axel square in the stomach, eliciting a startled _oof_ from him. "You were supposed to keep your mouth shut! And _you!_ " Anna marched out into view, planting her hands on her hips and glaring up at Kris. Or at least, one could only guess that was what her face was doing. It was hard to tell with the ridiculously huge sunglasses and oversized baseball cap she was wearing. "You're useless, you have absolutely zero chill!"

He narrowed his eyes down at her. "Maybe I would have had more chill if _someone_ hadn't kept pinching me."

"Oh, you little wimp, I barely even-"

Elsa cleared her throat.

Anna looked at her, her face lighting up as if she had just now realized she was there. "Sis! Happy birthday!" she cried, tackling her with a hug.

Struggling to stay upright, she said, "Um… thanks?" Her sister's words sounded so alien to her ears. It had been… what, over a decade since anyone had told her that? ...wow, that long, really? She didn't know how she felt about it. Electing not to feel anything at all for the time being, she determined a new topic was in order, stat. Pulling away, she asked, "What's with the getup?"

She tilted her head. "The…? Oh, these!" She removed the shades and the hat, shaking out her pigtail braids. "They're my disguise! So you wouldn't spot me."

Wow. Check out Double-Oh-Seven over here.

"I see." She hid a smile behind her hand. "How'd that work out for you?"

"It was working great, until this _loser_ ," she smacked Kris in the shoulder, "panicked and blew our cover. Honestly, I can't believe you waved at her."

"She was right there, I didn't know what else to do," Kris argued, rubbing the back of his head.

"How about, gee, I dunno... _not_ waving?"

Elsa glanced around. "Where's Hans? I'm guessing he's hiding somewhere nearby too."

Shaking her head, Anna said, "He was busy. That's why he's here." She jerked a thumb towards Kris.

She blinked. "Sure. Because everyone knows that spying is a… group activity."

"Exactly!"

"And so," she raised an eyebrow, "you brought him. Some guy who served you drinks at that bar you went to that one time nearly a month ago."

Because that made total sense.

"Hey, it's not like he's a complete stranger!" Anna huffed, lifting her chin. "We hang out! A lot, in fact. We're pretty much besties! He's like… like a really awesome gal friend!"

"Yeah!" Kris nodded firmly, then his head rocked back and his brow wrinkled. "Wait, gal friend?"

With a sigh, Elsa said, "So let me see if I got this straight. You stole my car-"

"Woah, back up, time out," her hands came together to form a T. "Nobody stole any cars, did you not get my text? I borrowed it for an emergency."

She let her eyelids sink down slightly. "Right. Sure, okay. So what was it?"

"What was what?"

"The big emergency you _borrowed_ ," she used air quotes, "my car for."

"Oh, right. That." Anna averted her gaze, poking her index fingers together. "That was, er… a fashion emergency."

Elsa fixed her with a dull stare. The effect was somewhat ruined as Spike danced along her shoulder. Axel, seemingly to have wisely decided to stay out of the (mostly) harmless bickering between the siblings, was currently making the little plushie do the can-can from its perch next to her head. "...a fashion emergency," Elsa repeated flatly as she attempted to lightly swat the doll away. Spike was undeterred. His sick dance moves would not be contained.

"Uh huh."

"...it was to buy the stupid hat and glasses, wasn't it?"

Her sister flashed a sheepish grin, "Um… yes?"

Pinching the bridge of her nose, she said, "So you could spy on me." At Anna's nod, Elsa sighed again. "Why?"

"So I could see how your date was going, duh!"

With a start, Axel fumbled Spike for a few seconds, just barely managing not to drop him. Eyebrows shooting up her forehead, Elsa asked, "My _what?!_ "

Snorting, Anna asked, "Are you growing hard of hearing in your old age? I said your da-"

"Daaaaaaaaa… day! She said day," Axel cut in hastily, clamping a hand over her mouth, muffling the rest of her answer.

Elsa narrowed her eyes up at him. "She was _spying_ on me… just so she could see how my day was going? Instead of just, you know… asking."

He nodded rapidly before the absurdity of the statement seemed to slowly dawn on him. Then he swapped to shaking his head. "Did I say day? I meant data. She wanted to see how our _data_ was, uh... coming... along. Heh."

She arched an eyebrow at him. He chuckled weakly, scratching a finger behind his ear.

Should have stuck with your first answer, Slick.

Clearing his throat, he hastily turned to Anna and Kris, shoving Spike into their faces. "Hey, guys, lookit! Isn't he the coolest, awesomest, most badass assassin you've ever seen?"

Wow. Way to change the subject. Such subtle. Many smooth.

"Cute doll," Anna giggled. Axel's left eye twitched at the d-word. "Did you win that for Elsa?"

"Actually, I won it for him," Elsa smirked. "Turns out garçon here couldn't hit the broadside of a barn at point blank range."

He scoffed. "Feh, those games are rigged, everyone knows it."

"I had no problem knocking those bottles down," she shrugged, sticking a cheeky tongue out at him.

"You got lucky."

Her eyes sparked at that and one corner of her mouth quirked up. "Wanna bet?"

He huffed a snort through his nose. "Bring it."

Oh, it's on.

"We'll catch up with you later," she said, turning to Anna. Nodding towards Axel, she added, "I have to go whip this loser's ass."

"Oo, you promise?" he asked with a crooked grin as he began to walk off. She followed him, rolling her eyes and not dignifying that with a response.

Anna called after them, "Alright, have fun, my sweet, wonderful, amazing sister! My most beauteous, most glorious, most awe-inspiring, most-"

"You're not off the hook for kidnapping my car."

"Drat!" she growled as Kris suppressed a laugh.

Axel had no problem cutting a path through the sparse crowd, Elsa not far behind him. However, a frown settled on her face as she glanced around. "Hey, aren't the game booths in the other direction?"

He waved a lazy hand towards her, "I know where we're going. Trust me."

She pursed her lips, but didn't argue. A few more minutes of weaving between other parkgoers, then he turned and was leading them down a side walkway. The clamor of the boardwalk slowly quieted down to a low murmur behind them as Elsa noticed they were the only people on this path. It didn't take long for her to discover why.

"Told you we were going the wrong way," she said, folding her arms together as she came to a stop. Before them was an area of the park that had been closed down for renovations. Booths and rides alike were fenced off with huge, tacky signs boasting the return of new-and-improved attractions coming next summer. All that was open here was a small, deserted courtyard with a few tables and benches.

He tossed her a grin over his shoulder. "But I'm exactly where I want to be."

Her brow furrowed as she watched him walk over to the closest table, lightly setting Spike down into a comfortable seat on top of it. "What are you doing?" she asked when he pulled out his phone.

Instead of answering her question, he swiped his thumb across the screen a few times, clearly searching for something. Then with a few taps, sound started seeping out of the phone. Not just sound… _music_. It was soft. It was slow. It was _sappy_. It was…

...a love song?

Sliding the phone into his back pocket as the tune crooned away, Axel stretched a hand out to her with a smile. "May I have this dance?"

Uh... huh what now?

She shot him a blank stare. "...you're joking."

"Nope," he beamed.

Her narrowed eyes flicked from his face to his palm. Then to his face again. Back and forth a few more times. She was searching for the punchline. The trick. The tripwire. The trap.

Wait… oh god, he wasn't… he was! He was actually being _serious_.

"...you're an idiot."

He snerked, not lowering his hand. "Too true, but that doesn't answer my question."

Face neutral, she eyed him a few seconds longer. Then she took in a breath, smiled and, raising a finger, said, "No." She took a small step back. "Nope." Another step. " Never. Not happening." Another. "Not in a million years. Not even if-"

In a sudden blur of movement, he reached forward and grabbed her hand. "Get over here, you." He tugged her back towards him and she stumbled into his chest. Before she knew it, he had hooked her fingers behind his neck and had settled his hands gently on her waist, leading them around in slow circles in time with the music.

The incredibly and utterly… _lame_ mushy music.

Someone pop the cork off a bottle of merlot, we're going to need some wine with this total _cheese_.

"So…" she began after a few dazed turns, clearing her throat, "I can't help but notice we're not throwing softballs at a pyramid of milk bottles."

"An astute observation," he nodded. He was still wearing that dumb grin.

Her head tipped slightly to the left. "But that's what we're supposed to be doing. So that begs the question… why are we instead spinning around to some cornball song in a ghost town section of the boardwalk?"

He continued to guide her along into another relaxed, unhurried circle. "Well, I was thinking of that one date you told me about. The one where the guy tried to take you to a dance club."

She blinked up at him, a crease forming between her eyebrows. "And was the point of that story totally lost on you?"

"No, I just-"

"Wait," she pressed a finger to his lips, silencing him. "Don't tell me, let me guess. You read between the lines?"

He smirked, "How'd you know?"

"I have a sixth sense about these things," she sighed, smiling despite herself. "Alright, go ahead. Enlighten me."

"His mistake wasn't the what, but the where and the how." At her quirked eyebrow, he elaborated, "It wasn't that you didn't want to dance. It was that he tried to take you dancing at a noisy nightclub playing lousy music and filled with wasted losers grinding body parts up against you that you'd rather not be anywhere near."

Her eyelids drooped. "So you thought you'd have better luck, getting me alone, bringing me to a place where no one could hear me scream and forcing me to slow dance like an awkward preteen at prom." Her lips curved slyly, "...all still to lousy music."

"Scuse you, this music is _classy_ ," he said, to which she merely snorted. "As for the rest of it…" he shrugged, his grin turning a shade cocky. "Tell me I was wrong."

She opened her mouth to do just that, but couldn't quite bring herself to do it. Technically, _technically_ , he wasn't really forcing her to do anything. True, he had dragged her into… whatever this was currently. But his hold on her was loose and she knew that if she wanted to, she could stop and pull away at any time. And yet, she wasn't.

...why wasn't she?

He was still watching her, an impish gleam in his eye as he waited on her answer. Looking away with a low huff, she just grumbled, "This is very dorky."

Axel's smirk broadened. "I know," was all he said as he gently pulled her in closer.

"Again, why are we doing this?"

His shoulders bobbed. "Why not?"

"How spontaneous of you," she said, tone dry. "And of course, this has nothing to do with it being my birthday."

"Of course not." He swept her out into a twirl before pulling her back in, eyes crinkled. "You don't celebrate your birthday, remember?"

She bit back a smile, doing her damndest to keep a straight face. "And this is not a date either."

"Nope."

"Because we're just friends," she added lightly.

"Exactly. Friends," he nodded. Then his eyes hooded as he bent his head down beside hers to whisper, "For another ten days, anyway."

His breath tickled her ear and she suppressed a shiver. She asked softly, "Then what?"

Straightening up to look her in the eye once more, he winked. "Then I drop your ass like a bad habit because I'm done putting up with your bullshit."

She choked down a laugh, punching him in the arm and beginning to back away from him. "Well, if that's how you feel-"

"I kid, I kid." His hold on her did not budge and in fact tightened ever so slightly. As she relaxed in his arms once more, he gazed down at her and for a moment, only the lilting notes from his phone filled the silence. Finally, he said, "Listen, I know your birthday must be hard for you. I get why you'd rather forget about it all together. And I know there's nothing I could ever do that could erase the past, but… you should have some good memories associated with this day, not just bad ones. And I only... I wanted to try to make today a little easier for you, maybe a little bit better. I hope I didn't overstep my bounds or anything, I just... wanted to help."

She blinked a couple times, feeling her cheeks heat and her heart stutter. What… do you even say to something like that? Eventually, she settled on a barely audible, "Thank you." It felt inadequate, but it was the best she could come up with. His eyes lit up and he gave a small nod as they continued their slow turns to the music.

...maybe this wasn't so bad after all.

Still dorky. And cheesy. Like, super- _duper_ cheesy.

But not bad.

The sun hung low in the sky as the song came to an end a minute later, only to be replaced by another one that was quite arguably even sappier (just how many of those songs did Mr. Badboy Biker have on his playlist anyway?). Axel made no move to stop, but piped up, "So, anything else you want to do on your big day?"

She gave a wry snort. "You mean I get a say in the matter now? How generous."

"I can be quite benevolent at times."

Shaking her head, she thought about it for a few seconds. Then her face brightened. "...anything?"

He nodded. "Anything."

* * *

"Did I say 'anything?'"

"That you did."

"Ah. Because what I meant was anything _but_ this."

Axel glowered as he surveyed the massive stretch of ice laid out at his feet before him. The ice rink, much like the boardwalk, was all but empty. A few odd skaters dotted the slick blue surface here and there, their laughter echoing faintly around the cool auditorium. Axel stood just inside the edge next to the exit, hands firmly braced against the wall, blades quivering and shifting precariously atop the ice beneath him.

"Funny," Elsa called as she skated past him in a smooth glide. She was clearly in her element. "That's not what you said."

He tried to take a step, but his knees wobbled and his blades slipped about frantically as he fought to maintain balance. Somehow through sheer force of will alone, he managed stay standing. Still, it made for quite an amusing sight. Panting from the effort, he muttered, "It was implied."

Looping back around easily, she skidded to stop in front of him and planted her hands on her hips, a grin tugging at one corner of her lips. "Your face is implied, now get your butt out here."

He took a seat on the carpeted step leading back out to the bleachers where Spike was perched, keeping a watchful eye over the two. Axel harrumphed and scratched the back of his head. "My butt is quite happy where it is, thank you very much."

Well now, that just wouldn't do.

"Please?" she pleaded, batting her eyelashes and putting on her best pout. Which, granted, wasn't that great. She had never really been one for pouting. "It's for my birthday."

"Uh uh. Nope. That crap don't work on me, chica, so you can take it elsewhere," he shooed her off.

Undaunted, she pressed on in candy-coated sweetness, "But you said you wanted to make this day special for me." The significance of the day of her birth may not have been all that important to her, but it seemed like a big deal to him. So if she was laying it on a bit thick, it was only to drive that guilt trip home good and proper.

He shrugged. "Meh. I'm over it. You can fend for yourself."

Hm. Well that backfired.

Dropping the act with a roll of her eyes, she skated over to him and took his hands in hers. "Come on, let's go, you big baby."

With a grimace and a grunt, he allowed her to pull him back onto his feet and guide him shakily out onto the ice. He was moving slowly in an ungraceful waddle that was oh so attractive, but said waddle combined with Elsa's hands still nestled reassuringly inside his were the only things keeping him upright. "I still don't get why there's an ice rink at the boardwalk," he grumbled. "I mean, it's the _boardwalk_. It's supposed to be all about swimsuits and sunburns, not ice skates and earmuffs."

She hummed a chuckle, shaking her head as she glided backwards, towing him along with great care. "Can't you just enjoy yourself and quit griping?"

"Hey, this may be your party, but I'll bitch if I want to." Haltingly and with jerky movements, he began to straighten up to his full height as they continued onward. It was kind of like watching a newborn foal trying to stand up for the first time. Awkward and clumsy.

...and maybe just a little bit cute.

She smiled, "There you go, you're getting the hang of it."

"Shush you, I don't need your pity compliments." He was still staggering a bit, but he seemed to be gaining confidence. "Why are you so good at this useless pastime anyway?"

Jeez, so grumpy. Laughing, she said, "Junior Icicle, three years running."

His brow furrowed. "What does that even mean?"

"Think of it like Cub Scouts on ice. Less wilderness survival, more twirling."

"I see." His blades hissed along the glassy surface as he picked up the pace. When he looked at her, he finally cracked the barest hint of a grin. "You having fun despite my misery?"

Amusement bubbled up within her chest and she wrinkled her nose. "Despite? Give yourself some credit, I'm having fun _because_ of your misery."

"Well enjoy it while you can. This shit won't be happening again."

"You think so, do you?"

He nodded. "I kn-" Axel began, but his whole body jolted abruptly, his feet stumbling, his grip tightening around her hands. "Fuck, it's happening."

"Wha-" was all she managed to say before his skates shot out from under him and he toppled over backwards, taking her with him. His back hit the ice with a heavy _whump_ , followed by a pained _oof_ forced out of him as she crash landed on top.

She felt as much as heard his cough and low, drawn-out groan before he asked, "You okay?"

Eyes squeezed shut from the impact, she winced and cracked them open as she lifted herself up a bit. "I think so. Are y…?" she trailed off when she turned her head towards his voice and found herself nose to nose with him. She froze, her breath hitching.

Jesus, it was like looking at a male model in a winter wonderland photo shoot. It was ridiculous, he was just so damn pretty. And so… close too… He smelled of sea salt still lingering from their morning surfing excursion, along with a hint of the usual cinnamon, the combination making her a little dizzy. Or maybe that was just an impending concussions talking. Her eyes trailed unbidden down his face to his lips, not inches from her own. Her mouth felt dry. If they only… if she were to tilt her head slightly to the right… like so... and then just leaned-

"It hasn't been thirty-one days yet."

She tensed as his voice formed those words in a smooth, silky, _smug_ purr. Those very familiar words. Her words. Her _exact_ words from a rather similar situation they had been in not too long ago, when they had been watching that movie and Axel had almost…

Realization and the full force of his wicked little smirk both struck her at the exact same moment.

Her eyes widened and it felt like just about every last drop of blood within her entire being was rushing like a stampede of enraged elephants straight up to her face.

Attempting to push herself up onto her hands, she spluttered, "Wha- I- You... You thought that-" Her palms slipped against the ice and she collapsed into him again. Scrambling frantically to get up now, she tried again, "I wouldn't... not while we- I wasn't trying to… I was just-"

"Just what?" he asked a touch too innocently as he propped up onto his elbows. "What were you just doing?"

Yeah, just what _were_ you doing?

Finally managing to tuck her knees beneath her, she sat up and looked away as her fingers furiously fidgeted with her braid. "I was just… making sure that you… were okay, is all!"

A likely story.

"That so?" He gave a low hum, cushioning his head in his arms as he laid back once more. "And how were you planning to do that?" His grin broadened. "Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation?"

She twitched, glaring down at him. All embarrassment she may have felt fled in the face of her irritation, and if Axel had had any sense, he probably would have done the same. Instead, he rubbed his chin and went on, "You know what? That might not be such a bad idea. I _am_ feeling a bit lightheaded. Please," his hand beckoned her as he smirked, "continue."

Dead boy walking.

"Don't flatter yourself," she grumbled, planting one hand on his face, the other on his chest, and he grunted as she used them to push herself none too gently back up onto her feet.

"Hey, where you going?" he frowned as he watched her begin to skate off. "You can't leave me here."

"Watch me." She stumbled as his fingers latched onto her ankle just before she got out of reach, but managed to catch herself before falling again. Shaking her leg, she said, "Let go."

"I wasn't built to withstand these subarctic temperatures, I'll die out on this frozen deathtrap."

Rolling her eyes, she pulled her leg free and put some distance between them, crossing her arms. "Somehow, I think you'll survive," she said with a derisive snort.

He flopped over onto his belly and pushed himself up onto his elbows to look at her. "What if you're wrong? Do you really want that on your conscious?"

Her head cocked to the side, her lips pursing in thought. "...yup." She turned and headed towards the exit.

"Wait, come back," he whined, trying to wriggle armyman style after her. He was getting a lot of strange looks from the other skaters. "Don't leave me alone."

"Oh, don't worry, you won't be alone," she called back from the bleachers and tossed something in his direction. It was a blur in the air until it landed and slid across the ice about a foot away from him.

He blinked down at it. Spike impassively stared back up at him. His eyelids drooped. "Damnit, Elsa, he's an assassin, not search and rescue!"

She merely smiled and waggled her fingers at him before walking away.

"Rude." With a sigh, he tried to lift himself up onto his hands and knees. It took a few attempts, but he eventually succeeded, if somewhat shakily. He then picked up Spike and muttered, "Alright buddy, let's go." Then with all the dignity and self pride he could muster, he stuck the doll between his teeth and began crawling towards the door.

* * *

_**Author's Note:** So, complete one-eighty from the last chapter! Went from getting flustered over sexiness to getting flustered over fluffiness xD Gosh, this chapter just might give you a cavity! Also, over 10k words this chapter, sooo second longest chapter I've ever written! Apparently, I have a lot more to say about Axel stripping than I do about cute fluffy happy birthday times... I dunno how I feel about that... xD_

_Fun Facts - I actually looked it up and there IS at least one boardwalk out there that has an ice rink! It's at Coney Island Beach! So, I know it sounds a lil weird, even to me, but it is not completely mythical!_

_NOW I FINALLY GET TO YOUR QUESTIONS! Sorry for putting these off for weeks, thank you for your patience, lovelies! Here we go:_

_What kinda bike does Axel have? He has a red and black Suzuki GZ250 Marauder! There's actually a story behind Axel's bike and where he got it from, but I'm still not sure if I'm gonna find a way to work it into the story or not, so for now, I'll keep it to myself xD If I can't work it in, I'll share that in a later AN._

_What Christmas songs do they like? Despite avoiding people like the plague, Elsa loves Christmas as long as she gets to spend it at home with the people she cares about. She doesn't have a favorite Christmas song per se. They all make her smile and she loves them all equally. Axel is not a fan of Christmas music. Too much working retail as a teenager ruined it for him._

_What Christmas movies do they like? Actually, **Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang** is technically a Christmas movie, so I'd have to say that is Elsa's favorite! (I've somehow turned this story into an ad for that dang movie) But if we're talking more traditional movies, then hers would be **A Christmas Story**. Axel's would be **Home Alone** cuz the main kid is a lil shit. Axel feels he can relate xD_

_Would Elsa hang out with Roxas one on one? HELL YAH SHE WOULD. I feel like these two would get along really well. However, not quite sure how something like that would get started. Possibly via Axel since he's the overlapping part in the Venn diagram of the two xD or maybe they'd be in a study group for a class they had together and become friends that way :D_

_Special thanks and much love to everyone who showed support for my little story! Thank you one and all for reading, hoped you liked it, please leave feedback (and silly questions!) and let me know what you think!  See y'all next week!_


	17. Day 24

"Thanks for keeping an eye on my stuff," Elsa panted as she jogged back into the classroom and plopped down into her chair, taking care not to knock over her laptop from its perch atop her flip-up desk.

Axel looked up from his phone, waving her words off. "No problemo. Good thing I was here to fend off all the ruffians and thugs trying to pillage your bag of all its priceless valuables."

She snorted at that. "Wow, ruffians?"

"And thugs," he nodded solemnly.

"My my, how the state of campus security has declined." She woke her laptop up from its standby slumber, adding, "I don't know how I survived before I had you around."

"Just doing my civic duty, ma'am," he gave her a two-finger salute before sinking deeper into his chair, turning his head towards her. "Was it in your car?"

"Yup," she smiled, holding up her phone. Then she pocketed it as she took a brief glance around the room. "The professor isn't here yet?"

"Nope. Looks like teach is running a lil late today."

Huh. What then, one might wonder, was she to do with this unexpected free time? Waste it on the internet like a normal person? Nah. How about review her notes from a previous lecture? Yeah, now there was an idea! Bringing up the appropriate file on her computer, she began to read over it, stopping from time to time to clean up a note here or elaborate on another point there.

After a minute of this, her back stiffened as she sensed it. That feeling of someone's gaze settled on her. Taking a wild guess, she looked towards Axel. Still slouched down in his chair, he had his fingers steepled in front of his face as he watched her out of the corner of his eye.

"Can I help you?" she asked, tilting her head to one side.

His eyes darted away. "Nah, I'm good."

...alright then, weirdo.

She turned her attention back to her notes, but was interrupted once again not thirty seconds later when he asked, "Actually, could I borrow a pencil?" She furrowed her brow at him, and he blinked in response. "What?"

Her eyes went to his ear. Hadn't he had a pencil tucked behind it just a second ago? She could have sworn…

She shook her head. "Ah, nothing. Sure." She reached for her bag next to her feet and dug around in it for a writing utensil. Pulling one out, she offered it to him over her shoulder, then froze as she spotted something out of place inside her satchel.

"Problem?" she heard Axel ask as he removed the pencil from her grip.

Wordlessly, she pulled a notebook out of her bag and placed it in her lap, frowning down at it.

Elsa liked to keep a set of handwritten notes as a backup. They were not as extensive as what she kept in her laptop, mainly just the key points. They were reassuring to have in case she did not have access to her computer for whatever reason. Plus, they were good for quick review right before a test. For convenience, she kept them in a notebook in her schoolbag.

This was not her notebook.

She did not recognize this notebook, nor have any idea how it had found its way into her bag. More than a little bewildered, she lifted the cover to read the first page.

_Do you like me? Check one:_

...ugh! Why did she keep falling for this stupidity?!

She shot Axel an unamused look. He was whistling innocently, eyes locked on the ceiling, balancing the borrowed pencil on his nose. Narrowing her gaze, she gave his shoulder a shove, toppling the pencil over. Then she turned a tiny scowl to the offending notebook once more, using more force than necessary to turn to the next page, discovering… the same exact message.

Surprise, surprise.

This time however, the message was written in bigger, bolder text. Left eye twitching, a morbid sense of curiosity had her flipping to the third page. Same incessant question, followed by the same incessant checkboxes. However, this one was bigger still and inscribed in rich, red marker. She turned the page again. And again and again.

Everytime she was greeted with a repeat of those six little words, each iteration getting progressively larger and more flamboyant than the last. Slowly, more and more marker colors were added into the mix before graduating onto water colors. Next came elaborate, abstract doodles embellishing the question. Then this one was adorned with stickers, from stars and hearts to little fireballs and googly eyes. And then there was the one with glitter. That's right. Frigging _glitter_. Not even joking. Each page was more of a hot mess than the last as the words continued to grow. Eventually they became so ginormous that several pages were required just to fit the complete question.

"This…" Elsa began as she neared the end.

Axel leaned in closer to her, pressing eagerly, "Yes?"

"...was a supreme waste of paper."

He pouted, shoulders slumping. "Anything else?"

She mulled over it for a few seconds as she flipped a few more pages. "...also a supreme waste of time."

"Waste of time implies there are better ways I could have spent it, and I honestly can't think of anything better than that," he pointed at the monstrosity in paper.

She snerked, closing the book. "And just how long did your little masterpiece take?"

"I stayed up all night working on it," he said proudly.

Pinching the bridge of her nose, she sighed. "Where's my notebook?"

"You mean this?" He pulled another one out of his own bag with a flourish. She reached for it but he held it away, using his other hand to waggle a finger in her face. "Ah ah ah. I'm keeping this as a prisoner of war until you answer my question."

She blinked at him a couple times, "Question?" He grinned, tapping a finger lightly against the notebook in her lap. Her eyelids drooped. "Well, I can tell you that I'm not a particular fan of you at the moment."

Propping an elbow on the armrest they shared and his chin against his knuckles, he said, "A simple yes or no will suffice."

In an overwhelming fit of maturity, she grumbled, "Bite me."

"Gladly, but that won't get you out of giving me an answer."

Suddenly she lunged out of her chair towards him, making a grab for the notebook. He was ready for it however and quick to jump up to his feet, holding it high over his head and well out of her reach. Releasing a soft huff through her nose, she glared up at him.

Her notes were _sacred_ and were not to be trifled with. No one messed with them. _No one._

"Why are you such a nuisance?" she asked, jabbing a finger into his chest.

He turned away from her, crossing his arms with a light hum. "I don't know, why is it so difficult for you to say that one teeny word we both know your heart is screaming?"

A sly grin tugged at one corner of her lips. "And what word would that be?" she asked, climbing up onto his chair. "...murder?" She then launched herself onto his back.

Axel grunted in surprise and nearly collapsed under the sudden unexpected weight now clinging to him. And yet somehow he managed to not only stay upright, but also keep the notebook away from Elsa's grasp as he held it out at arm's length, her arm being woefully shorter than his. He instinctively latched his free hand under her knee to keep her from accidentally falling in the ensuing struggle.

"Give it," she snarled.

"No, not until you-"

Someone cleared their throat loudly and the two froze, the room filling with snickers from the rest of the students. Axel, still giving Elsa what was essentially (for all intents and purposes) a piggyback ride, slowly turned to find that the professor had arrived. Her foot tapped against the carpeted floor, hands planted on her hips as she fixed them both with a dull stare and said nothing.

He chuckled nervously. "Uh… hi, Teach!"

She didn't utter a word, simply kept tapping her foot.

"I was just… helping! Yeah, she um… hurt her ankle!" he hastily ad-libbed, jiggling Elsa's leg a bit. The silence stretched and the lecturer arched an eyebrow.

Clearing his throat, Axel gave Elsa's leg another shake with more force. Finally, the blonde took the hint. "Oh! Uh… owie?"

Releasing a heavy, drawn out sigh, the professor walked past them and merely said stiffly, "Sit down. Now."

They didn't need to be told twice.

* * *

Axel was a massive fucking idiot.

Did that come off a bit harsh? Yeah, probably. But what else would you call the dumbass that had managed to trap himself on someone else's patio? That's right, joining our intrepid hero, he was to be found stuck inside the little courtyard outside of Elsa's apartment.

The front door was locked and no one seemed to be home. The gate leading out to the street, which he had oh so brilliantly closed behind him upon entering, was also locked. The metal fence running around the patio that currently had him caged in like a goddamn rat consisted of vertical bars. They were too narrow to squeeze through and with the lack of cross beam, too high to climb over, even for someone of Axel's stature. Besides, the vines entwined around the metal at the top were covered in thorns, making it rather difficult to get a good grip.

And so it was that he was left with little other option than to sit his happy ass down on the ground, lean back against the fence and wait.

"Are you listening to me, hoodlum?!"

Oh. Right. Then there was the old man - Elsa's neighbor it would seem - that was currently yelling at him through the metal bars that divided their patios. Couldn't forget that part. As much as he really wanted to.

"I said," the geezer harrumphed, prodding Axel in the shoulder with the tip of his cane, "did you hear me, you little delinquent."

"...no. No, I did not," Axel deadpanned as he scowled straight ahead, not looking at the man.

He straightened up, huffing and puffing, causing his handlebar mustache to ruffle. Adjusting his bifocals on his nose, he blustered, "Youths these days! No upbringing! No upbringing at all! Why, if I hadn't been here, you would have broken into that home by now and-"

"For the umpteenth fucking time, I was _not_ trying to break in," he snapped. Normally, Axel was totally on board with respect thy elders and all that crap. But he had been putting up with this bullshit for the past twenty minutes or so now, so excuse him if his patience was beginning to wear a little thin with the crazy old coot.

"Such language! I'm going to call the cops on you, you hoodlum!"

If this had been the first time the dude had threatened that, Axel might have changed his tune and tried to convince him not to. But as this was now somewhere around the seventeenth or eighteenth time, Axel had zero fucks left to give. Thus why he proceeded to drag down his right lower eyelid with his middle finger and stick his tongue out at him. "So then do it already, you old fart. Arrest me."

That earned him a good, solid whack in the face from the cane.

Yup. That was going to leave a mark.

"Delinquent! Hooligan!" he barked, his very noticeable combover bouncing with the action. "In my day, we had less than you kids ever did! Far, _far_ less. But we _never_ resorted to stealing! We had pride, we had self respect! Why, I remember-"

Yeah yeah, in your day, you had to walk fifty miles uphill both ways, in the snow, without any shoes, carrying your sick ol' granny on your back just to buy an inch of floss or whatever. Turning his ears off, Axel pulled out his phone and shot Elsa another text.

_plz tell me ull b here soon_

When he had first fallen into his little predicament, he had texted her to make sure she wasn't home. She had confirmed, then asked why. Feeling maybe just a touch embarrassed, he had replied, _o no reason_. She had then asked again, followed by saying she was on her way there. His answer: ... _ull c soon enough_

Suddenly the cane cracked across Axel's knuckles, making him yelp and nearly drop his phone. "Put that toy away and listen to me when I'm talking to you, hoodlum!"

"Fuck off, you wrinkly old prune," he hissed, trying to shake some feeling back into his hand.

"Why I-" he went to hit him again, but Axel anticipated the attack this time and caught the stick in his hand. Nostrils on his bulbous nose flaring, the dude tried to yank it out of his grasp, but no such luck. "Let go, hooligan! Scoundrel!"

He was getting real sick and tired of all the name calling. Honestly, it was super uncalled for. "Listen, old man, if you don't leave me the hell alone right now, I'm going to shove this cane so far up your-"

"Axel?"

He flinched, then craned his neck to look up towards the familiar voice. Elsa stood on the sidewalk beyond the fence, blinking down at him through the bars. A slow smile broke out across her face before she spluttered and covered her mouth, smothering a full blown laugh. "Are you stuck in there?"

And his total and utter humiliation was complete. Great. Just dandy.

To be fair, he had known this was coming. Didn't make it feel any better. A guy just couldn't catch a break.

Before he could dignify her question with a response, the geezer piped up first. "Miss Fryse, I caught this… this, this lowly _cur_ -"

Oh, we had upgraded to cur now? What an honor.

"-trying to force entry into your property to do heaven only knows what! Luckily I was here to put a stop to his shenaniganry and keep him from getting into any other mischief!"

One eye ticking in annoyance, Axel lashed out, "Up yours, you fugly old piece of-"

"Thank you, Duke," Elsa said loudly, cutting the redhead off with a pointed look. "I'll take it from here."

He puffed out his mustache a few more times in rapid succession, narrowing his eyes at her. "You'll contact the proper authorities on this hoodlum?"

"Trust me, this hoodlum," Axel glowered at her, which she determinedly ignored as she went on, "will be dealt with, ah… appropriately."

The codger deliberated for a moment more before relenting, tapping his cane against the ground. "See that he is." He then turned a disapproving eye on Axel once more. "And you!"

Oh great, now what?

"Get a haircut! That eyesore is upsetting my cats!" On that note, he spun on his heel, marched up the stairs leading into the condo next door and entered, slamming the door shut behind him.

Well alrighty then.

Elsa turned to him once more, biting back a grin. "Don't get a haircut. He doesn't even own any cats."

He snorted. "Wasn't planning on it," he said as he got to his feet, dusting himself off before raising an eyebrow. "Duke?"

"Oh, that. His name is actually Mr. Weselton, but he demands to be called the Duke." She threw up her hands, "Don't ask me why, I just do it because it's easier not to argue." Her eyes darted between him and the gate. "So… run into a little trouble, did we?"

"Nope. This is all going according to plan. One hundred percent."

Her eyes crinkled. "Care to explain?"

"Not much to it," he shrugged. "I dropped by. The gate was open. I closed it behind me. I got stuck."

"Ah. Yes, that gate locks."

"So I discovered," he said dryly. "It wasn't long before I was so fortunate as to be graced by the magnanimous presence of none other than the highly esteemed and ever so charming Duke himself."

She hid a smile behind her hand. "He can be quite a character."

"That's one word for it." A much nicer one than he would have used. Wrapping his fingers around the metal bars, he eased his head between them as far as it would go. "So, care to bust me out?"

She pursed her lips thoughtfully, then nodded. "Just a moment." She opened the bag hanging over her shoulder and started rummaging around in it before producing her phone. A few swipes and taps, then she held it up in front of him. "Say cheese."

He blanched. "No, don't take a-"

_Click._

"Beautiful," she smiled down at the photo of his scowling face before setting it as his picture in her list of contacts. "Hmm, an image of you behind bars. Why do I get the feeling I'm getting an eerie glimpse into your future?"

"Ha. Funny. You're a riot," he flicked her in the forehead. "Now you gonna let me out or what?"

She tapped her phone to her lips as they curled upward. "I don't know. I kind of like having you at my mercy."

"Woman, don't toy me with unless you plan to follow through on those words."

Laughing softly with a roll of her eyes, she said, "Fine, fine, have you out in a sec." Elsa pulled out her keys and unlocked the gate, joining him in the courtyard. She then tipped her head to one side and frowned at him. "Why are you here anyway? We don't have a study session today."

To that, one hand struck up an index finger while his other dug into his pocket and fished out something that he then offered to her. "Your pencil, m'lady."

A crease formed between her eyebrows and she did not take it from him right away. "The one you borrowed from me in class today?"

"Yup!"

She stared at him blankly for a few seconds. "You came all the way _here_... just to return a _pencil?_ "

...oh.

Huh. Well shit.

If that didn't sound like the crappiest made-up excuse to come see a girl ever, he didn't know what did. What made it worse was he hadn't realized it was a made-up excuse until just this very second.

Which it totally was.

Dumbass.

He rubbed the nape of his neck. "Um… yes?"

She cocked her head, "You know I have other pencils, right?"

Still holding the writing implement out to her, he cleared his throat and shuffled his feet. "I thought you might really want this one back."

"...you thought I'd want it back so badly that it couldn't wait until you saw me next class?"

"I don't know." His fingers ruffled vigorously through his hair. "Maybe it was important to you."

Not helping your case, dude.

"You thought it might be important?" she repeated flatly, quirking an eyebrow at him.

He gave a weak shrug. "Yes?"

"...an important pencil."

Way to rub it in.

"That's not-"

"Important like…" she eyed it pensively for a moment before smirking up at him. "...like it contains military secrets?"

She was making fun of him now. Not cool.

Taking a tiny step closer to him, Elsa pressed, "Important like… it's king of the pencils?"

"Will you just take the stupid pencil back already?!" he snapped, shoving it into her face.

Chuckling, she finally accepted it from him, murmuring, "Thank you." She then looked up at him speculatively, twiddling the pencil absently between her fingers, small smile still on her face. "Hey, do you have any plans for the rest of the day?"

Still feeling a bit touchy over the less than stellar past half hour of his life, he scratched his cheek with a frown. "Depends. What'd you have in mind? If it's more studying, I think I'll pass."

Bullshit.

"Anna is bringing her boyfriend over for dinner tonight. I've met him in passing a couple times, but she wants me to properly get to know him. I'm not opposed to the idea, but… " she paused, plucking delicately at her braid and worrying her lower lip between her teeth. "...well, you know how my sister can be. I just don't want to feel like a third wheel."

He bent forward so he was eye level with her, a grin spreading across his face. "Are you offering to make me dinner?"

A soft snort escaped through her nose. "Make nothing. We're ordering pizza."

"Sold!" he said brightly. "I'd happily be a fourth wheel for you any day, chica."

The corner of her lips stretched a fraction wider. "So cheesy. Alright, come on," she walked past him to unlock the front door and let him in. "Hans is picking Anna up from her class, so they'll be here soon."

Sure enough, the happy couple arrived within the hour. You could say things went off without a hitch. You could… but then you'd be lying. Through your teeth. Anna and Hans kept making with the googly eyes at each other while Elsa kept clearing her throat uncomfortably approximately every seven-point-five seconds. Axel just did his best to be the very definition of a polite houseguest that faded into the background. After all, this was a _Get to Know the Guy That's Boning Your Little Siste_ r party, not a _Hey, Look at Me, The Great and Amazing Axel_ party.

Eventually however, Anna snapped out of her twitterpated haze long enough to make the brilliant suggestion to dust off her PS3 and start up a rousing game of _Rock Band_. Mistaking lack of objections from the rest for their complete and utter enthusiasm, she did just that. It was slow going at first, but eventually everyone started getting into it and soon they were jamming their way to virtual rock stardom. Axel was mildly surprised to discover Elsa was not half bad on any of the instruments - he wouldn't have thought this to be her kind of video game.

To be fair, he wouldn't have thought _any_ game to be her kind of video game.

As for vocals, Anna took on that role for the most part. She had a decent voice for it, polished from years of singing at the top of her lungs in the shower, as Elsa commented. After much bottom lip quivering and puppy dog eyes from Anna, Hans sang a few songs too, though it wasn't so much singing as speaking the lyrics. As for Axel, he had no problem with stepping up to the mic and he was pretty damn good too, if he did say so himself. He wouldn't be winning _American Idol_ anytime soon, but he liked to think he could carry a tune. It was all about showmanship anyway, and he made sure to put on one hell of a show each and every time, especially when Elsa requested he sing _Barbie Girl_.

"Alright, my turn," Elsa said, standing up from the drum set as the scoring for the last song began tallying up on the screen. She had yet to have a round on vocals.

"Sure thing, all you, chica," Axel winked, twirling the mic by the cord a few times before extending it towards her.

Before she could take it from him however, Anna lunged for the microphone with a distraught cry of, "No!" She snatched it up first, stumbling over the wire for her guitar in the process. Steadying herself on her feet, she sighed in relief then stiffened as her eyes darted around between all the strange looks she was receiving.

"Anna?" her sister said slowly, arching an eyebrow.

"Elsa?" she responded sweetly, hiding the mic behind her back.

She held out her hand. "Could you please give me that?"

"Give you what?" she asked, still in the same tone of voice as she averted her gaze.

Her eyes narrowed. "Anna…"

"Sis. Sweetie. Boo." She placed her free hand on Elsa's shoulder. "I love you. You know I do. And it is out of love that I must do this now."

"Must do _what_ now? Would you just hand it over already?" she tried to reach behind Anna for the mic, but her sister merely twisted away from her.

Shaking her head, Anna asked, "Think about this, Sis. We like Axel, don't we?"

Her eyebrows knit together at that, gaze flicking briefly towards the boy in question. "Uh… yes? Why would you-"

"And we like having him come around, right?" she pressed.

"Of course we do. What does this have to do with anything?"

She fixed her older sibling with a pointed look, but Elsa gave her a blank stare in response. Eyelids drooping, Anna finally leaned forward and whispered something into her ear.

Reeling back, Elsa spluttered, "He would not! Why-"

Apparently not done, Anna grabbed her elbow and yanked her back, whispering to her some more. Axel and Hans exchanged a glance, before both just shrugged.

"I do _not!_ " Elsa snapped indignantly, taking the opportunity to yank the microphone from her grasp. Shooting her little sister a few daggers, she stomped over to the mic stand and started scrolling through the list of available songs. Anna facepalmed but said nothing more, taking her guitar in hand once again.

Okay… what had _that_ been about?

Left with little else to do after that bit of intrigue, Hans moved to the drumset and Axel took up the other guitar, putting it in his lap as he took a seat on one of the couches.

Finally settling on a song by Idina Menzel, Elsa started it up, squaring her shoulders and haughtily sticking her nose up. Anna rolled her eyes, but continued to keep her mouth firmly shut. Drums started the number off, followed shortly with the bass provided by Axel. Soon lead guitar joined in as well, and then finally the first line of lyrics slid onto the screen. Taking a deep breath, Elsa brought the mic up to her lips.

As she sang the first note, Hans nearly dropped one of the drumsticks and Axel fingers fumbled against the buttons. He recovered quickly, his wide eyes darting from Elsa's back to the others.

This… was…

A tiny choking noise escaped Hans. Anna shot him a warning glance before swiping her hand back and forth across her throat, shaking her head. The strangled sound her boyfriend was making evolved into more of a cough and he composed himself, focusing hard on the drum beats scrolling down the screen. And Elsa sang on.

Holy shit, this was just _so…_

Axel snerked, bringing a fist up to cover his mouth, breaking his combo in the game. Elsa didn't seem to hear it, but it did not escape Anna's notice. She pinned him with a withering glare, pointing two fingers at her eyes and then turning those same pair of digits on him. Somehow, that only made the struggle more real.

Don't do it, man. If you like your head attached to your body, don't you dare fucking do it.

Then it happened. The song hit an inhumanly high note, and Elsa did not hold back. Not one bit. And that was the last straw.

Axel completely fucking lost it.

Spine going rigid, the words abruptly died on Elsa's tongue as she whipped her head around to blink at Axel. "...what's so funny?"

He wheezed between laughs, trying to calm down long enough to talk. "I'm sorry, b-" Nope. He broke down into another fit. Okay, take two. "But you suck!"

So long, cranium. It was nice knowing you.

"Tried to warn you," Anna muttered under her breath.

Elsa's face drained of all color before swiftly flushing bright red as she rounded on Anna. "You told him to say that!"

"Did not!"

"Elsa," Axel decided to bravely (or stupidly) interject. "Believe me, I say this with every ounce of affection in my heart… but even a deaf man could tell that you are about as melodic as a toad with bronchitis."

Decapitation, motherfucker. Can you say it?

A blur streaked through the air towards him and he ducked, just narrowly avoiding getting clocked in the nose by the mic Elsa had thrown at him. He crowed, "Ha, you're going to have to be a lot faster than that if y- _gak!_ "

He had been too busy gloating to realize Elsa had hurled something else at him - herself. Before he could even register what had just happened, his back hit the couch cushions hard, with her straddling him and beating him in the face with a pillow.

"Hey!" _Whack._ "St-" _Whomp._ "Stop that!" _Thump._ "I said stop that!" He finally managed to catch her weapon of downy doom and wrestle it free of her grasp, tossing it out of her reach. Her hands then darted for his throat, but he snagged her by the wrists, stopping her. " _Now_ what are you trying to do, woman, strangle me?!"

"Never make fun of Elsa's singing," Anna said in an innocent singsong.

"Duly noted," he laughed as Elsa huffed, still struggling to reach his neck. He was fending her off easily. With a smirk, he murmured silkily, "Never thought erotic asphyxiation would be your thing, chica, but if that's what you're into to, I'm down to give it a go."

Her left eye ticked and she redoubled her efforts. It actually took some work now to keep her fingers of homicidal intent at bay, though he continued to do so with a chuckle.

Out of his peripheral, he saw Anna shake her head. "Jeez, just get a room already, you two."

At that, Elsa froze, blinking a couple times. Apparently, the reality of their rather compromising position had been completely lost on her until this very second, and you could practically see it beginning to sink in. Clearing her throat awkwardly, she attempted to straighten up and stand. However, with his hold still on her wrists, she didn't get very far before he tugged her back down, shifting his hands to instead wrap around her waist and hold her firmly in place.

"We got one," he stuck his tongue out at Anna, "you just so happen to be in it."

"Let go, you idiot," Elsa grumbled.

He nuzzled her cheek with a grin. "Nope!"

Rolling her eyes with a faint blush, she planted a hand on his face and tried to push her way free, but he held fast. She heaved a sigh. "You brought this on yourself, garçon."

"Wha-"

She tickled him. He spasmed violently, launching them off the sofa and sending them both crashing to the carpet with a heavy _thud_. The room filled with silence for a few seconds, then slow clapping rung out, courtesy of Anna.

At that moment, the doorbell rang.

"That'll be the pizza," Hans spoke up. Had almost forgot the guy was around, he had stayed so quiet during that whole mess. Probably the smart call. He frowned, "Shoot. Babe, I'm strapped for cash, would you mind covering my share? I'll get you next time."

"Of course, Love," Anna chirped before skipping off to answer the door.

"Get off," Elsa grunted, giving Axel a shove.

By the time Anna returned with pizza box in hand, the two had managed to disentangle themselves and were back on their feet. "Sis, would you come help me with this?" she asked brightly, to which Elsa nodded and walked over to her. The boys made to follow as well, but Anna stopped them with a raised hand. "Nuh uh! You two are our _guests_ , so sit those pretty lil asses of yours down. Just… I dunno, do that whole macho bonding thing you guys do. Be back in a jiff!" And with that, the sisters disappeared into the kitchen.

Axel blinked.

Macho bonding thing? What did that even mean?

He looked to Hans, who merely ran his fingers through his hair and shrugged before taking a seat on the sofa once more. Axel plopped down next to him.

Annnnnnd crickets.

So... this was awkward. Like, more so than penguin awkward like how Roxas would get when he talked to girls. This was _beyond_ penguin awkward. This was a whole new level of awkward. This was, like... megalicious, supercalifragilistically awkward.

He glanced at Hans out of the corner of his eye. There was still something familiar about the dude that itched the back of his brain. But he just couldn't quite put his finger on it, whatever it was.

Hans checked his phone. The guy had been pulling it out constantly all evening and tapping away at it. Just who was he texting anyway? Axel knew it wasn't exactly polite to be so nosy, but come on, it wasn't like Mr. Sideburns over here was being all Double-Oh-Seven about it. So, he took a quick peek. And then he cocked an eyebrow.

Oh… oh crap, was he…? Ugh, he _was_. He was sexting. And… ew, TMI, man, TMI. Oh to unsee that which was never meant to be seen.

Wait, hold up… did Anna know about this? Because judging by the contact info and photo in Hans' phone, that most certainly was not her, not unless she was now some excessively gothed up chick who went by the name Paine. Maybe Axel didn't know the whole story, but he was pretty sure Anna thought her and Hans were exclusive. And maybe he didn't have room to talk… he'd certainly juggled women in the past himself. But they had always known they weren't his one and only, and he'd _always_ had enough sense to not sext one while out with another. You kidding? He liked his manhood intact and preferred to keep it that way, thank you very much.

So yeah, maybe it wasn't his place to say anything. But then… when had that ever stopped him before?

"Wow. Real classy, man."

Hans looked up at him, blinking a couple times, then smiled. "Hey, thanks." Huh. What was that _whoosh_? Oh, must be the sound of sarcasm flying straight over Hans' head. His shoulders bobbed as he looked back down at his phone, thumbs typing away once more. "You know how it is. Gotta play the field. Sow my wild oats."

Woah, was this guy for real? ...was this that macho bonding thing Anna had been talking about? Shit, were they having a bro moment?

Hans held out his fist towards Axel and added, "Am I right?"

...apparently, they were. This guy seemed to think so anyway.

Axel shook his head, declining the proffered fistbump. "Pass, thanks."

He glanced up once again, but this time with a small frown. Perhaps he had finally sensed the tone. Putting his phone away now, he eyed Axel for a second, seemingly sizing him up. Then he said, "Look, I have a good thing going here with Anna. She pays for everything and is crazy in bed, so you better not screw this up for me. If you know what's good for you, you'll keep your mouth shut."

Now _that_ was hard to keep a straight face through. The redhead said nothing and merely shrugged.

Bring it, little man.

Narrowing his eyes, Hans stared him down for a few heartbeats. Well… tried to, at least. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. Opening it up, he pulled something out and offered it to Axel. "Perhaps this will keep you quiet?"

It was a crisp, 100-munny bill. Eyes darting to the still open wallet, Axel spotted a couple more just like it inside. Scratching his nose, he said, "Didn't you tell your lady fair you were broke just a minute ago?"

A smirk played across his face. "So maybe I… _borrow_ some cash from her here and there. No big deal." Wow, dreamboat alert. This guy was quite the catch. Still holding the munny out, he gave it a bit of a shake. "So, how about it?"

Rolling his eyes, Axel pushed his hand away. "No thanks."

He scowled, all but shoving the bill in his face now. "Would you just take it? Stop trying to act all noble. We both know it's just because you're trying to get into the pants of that ice queen bitch that Anna calls a sister."

At that, Axel went eerily still. Seriously, you couldn't even tell if he was breathing. But then a nasty little half-grin abruptly twisted his lips, and he said with deathly calm, "Still a pass on the cash. But you know what? I think I'll take that fistbump now."

Hans' brow furrowed, but he balled up his fingers and slowly, uncertainly raised them towards the other guy.

And then Axel fistbumped him.

He fistbumped him hard and right in his stupid fucking face.

Macho bonding. Was he doing it right?

* * *

_**Author's Note:** Putting this in bold because I'm sure a lot of you skip over my long ass ANs... **NO MORE WEEKLY UPDATES**. _

_I'm out of pre-written chapters! This is very distressing! I LEFT THIS AT THE WORST PLACE POSSIBLE! WHO KNOWS HOW LONG YOU'LL HAVE TO WAIT TO GET AN UPDATE, I'M SORRY FOR ME AND MY SNAIL-ITUDE! The good news is I've already started the next chapter... the bad news is I got distracted by my one shots AND THE CURRENT ONE FOUGHT ME SO HARD. It's FINALLY done though, thank god, but I had to wrastle it for every single last word. Now that it's done, I SHOULD get back to finishing the next chapter of 31 Days (in theory... heh... *sweat drop*) REGARDLESS, it will get written sooner or later! Sorry for so much caps, I'm just very distraught! Distraught about this sort of a cliffhanger, and about having to take down my "Updated Weekly" note from the summary Dx_

_Fun Facts - My my, what a long way Elsa has come, from it being a big deal of her just touching Axel's hand, to braiding his hair, to jumping on his back, to tackling him to the sofa xD Just shows her ever growing comfortableness with him :3 My baby is growing up!_

_You have NO IDEA how long I've been waiting for the Axel trapped on the patio scene! I had so much fun writing it and was super happy with how it turned out! This was actually among of the first scenes I dreamed up for this little fic, so I was ecstatic to finally get to it! And actually, it wasn't going to be the Duke of Weselton originally but just some random old person yelling at him. But when I finally got to writing the scene, I was like "can I make this a cameo? hmmmm, who... OH. EM. GEE." It was perfect xD Also, Elsa's patio, with the high fence around it that locks, is actually based on my own patio. Someone COULD actually get trapped in there, and I keep hoping to come home one day to find exactly that, but it has yet to happen :(_

_And I've committed sacrilege... Elsa not able to sing? BLASPHEMY! I dunno, I just thought it would be funny, you guys were all expecting Axel to be enamored with her angelic singing voice or some shite, BUT NOPE! If it's any consolation, he finds her toad with bronchitis singing voice totes adorbs and absolutely endearing._

_ALSO AXEL PUNCHING HANS IN THE FACE! Nuff said._

_I hath received a question to answer! If the frat gave all the kids "x" in their names, does this mean Roxas' name is actually Sora? Good question! Most likely yes... or maybe it's (dun dun dun)... ROSA! Who knows? ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ But yah, I'm thinking in this AU, the name Sora is suuuuuper common, it's like naming your kid John. So IF Roxas's real name is Sora, then yes, he'd probably get it legally changed one day cuz he's sick of the everyone having his name BS. (Prolly get it legally changed if his real name is Rosa too, cuz eff his parents, what were they smoking lol).  
_

_Final tidbits - I'm probably going to be posting my new one-shot tomorrow, it'll be called **Notice Me** , please check it out!  Another Axel x Elsa fic, surprise surprise xD_ _I'll keep posting updates to my other story on here **Ice Breaker** because I have that all completely pre-written and good to go :D As for updating 31 Days, new chapters will just go up whenever I finish writing them. Sorry, that's the best I got for you. I'll probably start keeping my profile updated with whatever story I am currently working on the next chapter for, so keep an eye on that if you're curious!_

_Special thanks and much love to everyone who showed support for my little story! Thank you one and all for reading, hoped you liked it, please leave feedback (and silly questions!) and let me know what you think! **Comments** and **kudos** could potentially encourage me to write faster *nudge nudge* :3 Be back... **not** next week ;_; (oh gosh, it's so painful writing that, IT'S TEARING ME UP INSIDE). Be sure to **bookmark** so when I do next update, you won't miss it! Until then, much love and peace out!_


	18. Day 27

" _So what do you think of him?"_

_Elsa hesitated as she reached for the cupboard._

_Oh dear. Were they doing this now?_

" _I think he's… nice."_

" _Nice?" Anna snorted, flipping the pizza box lid open. "Oh please. Nice is something you say about oatmeal and the frigging weather. Come on, tell me what you really think."_

" _I think…" she gnawed her bottom lip, retrieving plates from the cabinet one by one. "...that I'm going to need more time to think."_

_Another snort. "Well don't take too long. Otherwise by the time you've made up your mind about him, you'll be calling him brother-in-law."_

_She fumbled the plates, almost dropping them. "What?! You two… You're not… I mean, it hasn't even been a month yet, you can't-"_

" _Relax, Sis, I'm just screwing with you," she laughed, her nose scrunching up. She sobered, taking a couple dishes from Elsa and setting them on the table as her face softened. "But… I just want you to see how amazing he is. He really is perfect. And," she closed her eyes, "when it's true love… when you meet the one, you just know…"_

_Um, woah now. Was this really her baby sister talking? Her rowdy, rambunctious, free-spirited, one-night stand loving sister? Thinking about settling down?_

_Had they entered the Twilight Zone?_

_Anna sighed softly, before casting a sly sidelong glance at Elsa and nudging her shoulder with her own. "Speaking of the one, how are things going between you and Axel, hm?"_

_Don't think she didn't catch that not so subtle subject change, young lady!_

_Avoiding eye contact, she traced a finger along the edge of one plate. "They're… fine."_

_Anna facepalmed. "Oh jeeze, Sis, throw a girl a bone here."_

" _I don't know what you-"_

" _Sweetie," she took hold of her sister's shoulders and made her face her, "when's the last time you so much as shook a guy's hand, much less jumped and wrastled one?"_

_She was of course referring to the little incident where Elsa had just pummeled Axel with a pillow and attempted to strangle him not five minutes ago. The blonde blushed and cleared her throat. "Call that… a moment of temporary insanity."_

_Her eyes crinkled and she gave a low, knowing hum as she turned back to the pizza and put a slice on one of the dishes. "Well they do say people always do crazy things… when they're in love."_

_Face now erupting in heat, her clumsy fingers yet again nearly sent a plate crashing to the floor._

_Really? Did this really have to be happening right now, while fragile dishware was involved?_

" _I am_ not- _"_

_A loud_ wham _from the living room interrupted her, followed by some colorful expletives. The girls whipped their heads around towards the noises, eyes wide. Elsa began, "What on e-"_

_Then the crashing and banging started. Not wasting another second, the sisters abandoned the pizza and dashed into the living room. There they discovered all the Rock Band instruments strewn across the floor, along with both the mic stand and one of the side tables toppled over. In the middle of the mess, Hans had his back flat against the floor with Axel on top of him and thrashing the ever living snot out of him._

" _The hell are you doing?! Get off him!" Anna barrelled into Axel's side, catching him by surprise and knocking him off. Anna crouched protectively over her battered and bleeding boyfriend as Axel scrambled to his feet, nostrils flaring, eyes flashing dangerously._

_He pointed at Hans, snarling, "He was-"_

" _Out!" Anna yelled, cutting his words short as she thrust an angry finger towards the front door._

" _But he's-"_

_She charged towards him, giving his chest a shove that forced him back a step. "I said get the fuck out!"_

_He stared down at her incredulously, then looked to Elsa. She had watched the whole exchange, eyes round, not a word passing through her gaping lips. He was seeking an ally in her now, quietly pleading with her to back him up and let him speak. Instead, she just slowly closed her eyes, turned her head away and said nothing._

_The silence stretched for a few tense seconds. Elsa flinched at the sound Axel's fist hitting a wall before he stomped out of there, slamming the door shut behind him._

That had been Friday night. Now it was Monday morning. Class was about to start.

The seat next to Elsa remained empty.

She craned her neck to look towards the back of the class. It didn't take long to spot Roxas, but his redheaded friend was nowhere to be seen. Roxas caught her eye, frowned sympathetically and just shrugged. Sighing deeply, she turned to look straight ahead once more, slouching a bit into her seat.

She hadn't heard from Axel all weekend. No "good morning" texts. No unexpected, unannounced drop-in visits. Nothing. Not even so much as one of those ridiculously juvenile notes he seemed to take so much pleasure in delivering to her each and every single day.

She would have never thought she'd see the day when she missed those stupid little notes.

* * *

Elsa exhaled heavily, hanging her head as she stepped out of the university library.

Apparently clearing up the facility's little pest problem had finished ahead of schedule and they had reopened to the student body a few days early. After her final class of the day, Elsa had spotted people walking in and out of it on the way to her car. And after a slight hesitation, she had found herself being drawn to the place as well, her feet seemingly moving of their own accord as they lead her up the steps. She wasn't entirely sure why she had gone inside. There were no books she had needed to check out or return. She had not been looking for a quiet place to study alone, she had her bedroom for that. And yet, there she had found herself, wandering the aisles of books, looking, _searching_ for… something.

The place looked nice. In the nearly two weeks it had been closed for fumigations, it seemed they had found the time to give the aging library a few touch ups as well. Some new furniture, a fresh coat of paint on the walls, more shelves to accommodate their ever growing collection of knowledge… but…

...no Axel.

She frowned as she squinted up at the sun hanging low on the horizon. Then shaking her head, Elsa began a slow, almost reluctant descent down the stairs.

She hadn't expected him to be there. Not really. Why would he be? They hadn't had any plans to study there, not for a long time. In fact, it was beginning to feel like they no longer had plans to study together anymore period, not with all the radio silence he had been giving her ever since she…

Coming to a stop at the foot of the steps, she grimaced. She didn't really feel like going home, not just yet. Honestly, she didn't feel like doing much of anything. Except maybe sulk. Yeah, some sulking would be good right about now. And to her left, brightening up the small courtyard leading up to the library entrance was an old raised koi pond.

Perfect location for some prime sulking.

With a sigh, she plopped down unceremoniously onto the stone bench beside it, letting her bag fall to the ground beside her feet. Leaning over the small pool, she found several curious fish gathering close to the surface near her. She idly poked the tip of one finger into the water, her mind wandering once more.

Why hadn't she said something that night? Why hadn't she done something? Anything. _Anything_ at all would have been better than just… _stupidly_ standing there and remaining mute. She just… she had been so shocked to come face to face with such a scene. The totally unexpected sight of Axel assaulting Anna's boyfriend had stunned her and rendered her speechless. And then when she had been abruptly forced to pick a side, choose between hearing him out or backing up her sister, she had been at a loss. She hadn't known what would be the right thing to do.

And so, she had simply done nothing.

Let's take "Horrible Decisions" for a hundred please, Alex.

Something caught Elsa's eye in the little pond, distracting her from her thoughts momentarily. It was a miniature boat, crudely folded from a sheet of notebook paper, probably abandoned by some bored student earlier that day. It drifted lazily towards her, leaving ripples in its wake. She lightly nudged it away with her hand as she stared back down at her reflection.

She wish she had spoken up. That she had let Axel explain his side of the story. He must have had a good reason for doing what he did. Well… he must have had a reason at least. She wasn't so sure about _good_ , not when it came to beating a person bloody. When asked about what had happened, Hans had very little in the way of answers. He had claimed he had done nothing, that he was only sitting there on his phone, minding his own business, when Axel had attacked him out of nowhere. He had claimed Axel was unstable and psychotic and didn't need a reason, he had just done it.

Elsa had been dubious. Not that she thought Hans was lying or untrustworthy in any way, but… that just didn't sound like Axel. Maybe if he were still a stranger to her, she might have believed it based on his reputation alone. But she had gotten to know the real him over the past few weeks and he wasn't like that. At least, she had thought he wasn't. Sure, there had been those couple encounters with Steve, but those were different. Those were provoked. There had to be something that Hans was leaving out, some possibly very small, yet extremely important detail. Maybe Hans didn't even know it, maybe it was something he just hadn't seen or been aware of. Whatever the case, Anna had been willing to take him at his word. But Elsa had remained less convinced.

The koi scattered as the little paper ship slowly floated its way back to her. She hardly noticed it, her fingers absently bumping against it and sending it on its way once more.

If she really wanted answers, she supposed she knew exactly where she could get them. Trouble was, she just couldn't quite bring herself to call Axel. She felt like she didn't have the right. Not after she had let him down like that. And given that he hadn't reached out to her either since the incident, clearly he didn't want to talk to her. That hurt, even though she knew she deserved it. But hopefully, he just needed some time and space. He would talk to her when he was ready. All she had to do… all she _could_ do, was wait.

Waiting sucked. Big time.

She twitched as something brushed against her knuckles. Looking down expecting to see one of the fish swimming past, she instead discovered that the little boat had found its way back to her for a third time. Her lips pursed to one side. What was up with this thing? Shouldn't it have gotten itself stuck in some fronds by now? Had she spontaneously developed some magnetic pull to paper in the last few minutes? With a tiny scowl, she gave it yet another push. It wasn't until the small vessel had sailed several feet away that Elsa spotted it. She squinted.

There was something written between the notebook lines of the paper the ship was made out of. The way it was folded, it was impossible to see it in its entirety. But the part of it that was visible, she could very clearly make out the word "yes" next to a little box.

...one might even call it a _check_ box.

With a gasp, Elsa's body was acting before she even knew it and she lunged after the little boat. Mid-leap, everything seemed to shift into slow motion as she suddenly realized she had made a terrible, terrible mistake. Worse yet, she was well past the point of no return. Looking down, her own reflection stared back up at her from the murky waters that were getting closer. Her eyes squeezed shut, waiting for the wet splash of impact.

…a second passed.

...then three.

...huh. Sopping wet felt suspiciously like bone dry.

Hesitantly, she opened one eye. The other followed as she blinked a couple times. She was just above the pond, the tip of her nose hardly a millimeter away from brushing the surface. Her braid wasn't quite so lucky as the rest of her, as half of it was submerged in the water, a few inquisitive koi nibbling at it.

Okay… it seemed that in addition to the recent development of her powers over paper, she had also gained the ability to hover.

Perhaps she should start considering a career in superheroing.

Elsa banished the silly notion with a shake of her head. Only then did it come to her attention that she felt something wrapped around her waist, acting as a counterweight that was anchoring her to dry land. This little revelation came accompanied by a voice grunting, "Shit, chica, the hell do you think you're doing?!"

She glanced over her shoulder and wasn't all that surprised at this point to find Axel, his arms being the things she felt encircling her hips. He had one foot braced against the stone enclosure of the pond as he leaned back, preventing her date with watery destiny.

With a soft huff, he took a careful step back, then another, hauling her up from the pond. As she was being lifted away, she noticed the little paper ship bobbing in the water only a few inches from her face now and she snatched it up. Soon Axel had managed to pull her upright onto solid ground once more.

Releasing his hold on her, he took a step back and crossed his arms, arching an eyebrow down at her. "Well?" he asked. Apparently, his question from a moment ago hadn't been rhetorical.

Feeling her face warm slightly in embarrassment, she looked down. "I, um… I just…" She struggled for an answer that hardly she even knew, watching her soaked braid drip, making the cobblestones at their feet wet. Her fingers fiddled with the soggy bit of folded paper for a few seconds before she finally held it up to him. "...boat."

He facepalmed.

"S-so…" she began, clearing her throat. Slowly reaching a hand up, she pressed a tentative finger to his that were still covering his face and gently tugged them out of the way so she could look him in the eye. "...hi."

He visibly tensed. As if he had just remembered something very important that had slipped his mind.

Like, say, their whole speaking embargo.

He quickly looked away, his eyes shifting about, looking at everything but her as he muttered, "Hi."

Silence.

Complete and utter.

There weren't even any crickets. They had all died from the sheer amount of awkward radiating off these two.

Axel was the first to speak, suddenly blurting out a hasty, "Bye!" before turning and looking ready to book it out of there faster than a speeding bullet.

"Wait!" Elsa all but stumbled forward, snagging the back of his shirt before he could get too far.

The good news? He actually did stop. The bad news? She hadn't expected to him to, and so she immediately proceeded to crash hard into his back. If that's where the series of unfortunate events had come to an end, maybe it wouldn't have been so bad. But by now, Elsa's braid had made a small puddle on the ground. One Axel slipped in as soon as she collided with him, sending them both hurdling to the ground in an ungraceful heap.

"...we gotta quit meeting like this," she heard Axel grumble.

"Oh gosh, are you okay?" Elsa asked as she scrambled to disentangling herself from him and sit up, ignoring the dull ache throbbing throughout her body from the fall.

Rolling over so he could sit up too, he winced but nodded. "I'll be fine. You?"

She returned the nod before tucking her lower lip in. With a hint of hesitation, she asked, "Why… did you come here?"

He froze for a split second at the question. Then he pulled his feet in to sit cross-legged as he rubbed an elbow. "I... was looking for you."

She felt a tiny flutter in her chest. "You weren't in class today."

He winced a second time. This time it seemed to have nothing to do with any sort of lingering pain from their fall. Staring at his shoes, all he said was, "I know."

Elsa frowned. "You could have called. Or texted."

"This is the type of thing you want to do face to face. But by the time I got to campus today, your final class was over and I had just missed you. But then I spotted you walking out of the library, and…" he grimaced, scratching the back of his head. "And I hid."

"You hid," she deadpanned, quirking an eyebrow at him. "You know, when you're looking for someone, hiding from them doesn't really work."

"I panicked, okay?" he shrugged. "But then you sat down at the koi pond and just looked… really sad."

She blinked, then glanced down at her hands resting in her lap. Cradled within them still was the paper boat, crumpled and misshapen now from their crash. "So you were… trying to cheer me up? With this?"

"I guess? I dunno anymore, really," he chuckled weakly before fixing her with a dull stare. "But man, chica, talk about oblivious. I was just about getting ready to chuck the damn thing at your head right before you decided to take a swan dive after it."

A smile tugged at one corner of her lips. Her fingers began to unfold the mangled little ship, taking great care not to accidentally tear the still damp paper. "So, you're no longer mad at me?"

His brow furrowed. "Mad? No, not at you. _Never_ at you," he added the last part firmly.

"But… you weren't talking to me," she murmured, staring hard at the paper as she continued to unravel it. "And you avoided me."

He gave a deep sigh. "I was avoiding you because I was ashamed." Her fingers stilled, her eyes snapping up to meet his. "I… let my emotions get the better of me and did something stupid. I was a guest in your home and I beat someone up in it. Totally not cool. I figured you would be mad at me, so I backed off. Giving you a chance to make the first move. You know, when you were ready."

"Seriously?" she asked flatly. At the odd look that earned her, she said, "I was giving _you_ space."

He snorted at that, shaking his head. "What a pair we make, huh?"

She couldn't help a soft laugh herself. It was ridiculous, really. They had both been too scared to make the first move. What a pair indeed.

What a _stupid_ pair.

"Why would you think I needed space?" Axel asked.

Her eyes darted to the left, her fingers fiddling with the paper shipwreck once more. "I thought you were angry at me for not letting you explain yourself."

"Ah. Not gonna lie, that did hurt a little. But I understand. You were put in a totally sucky position there." He tipped his head to one side, then smirked. "Guess it's a good thing I got impatient and decided to hunt you down."

She grinned softly herself, nodding in agreement. She had managed to unfold all the paper now, more or less intact, and her grin stretched a bit wider when she saw the exact question she had expected to see written down there, just slightly smudged from water damage. "Sorry for not hearing you out."

His eyes crinkled. "I'm sorry too, for… well, you know..."

Wedging the note safely between the pages of her notebook in her bag, her smile faltered somewhat as she bit her lip. "You were mad about about _something_ though, even if it wasn't at me. You punched a wall."

His face darkened a bit as well in response. "I was frustrated that I had lost control and made it so easy for that douchebag to get away with everything and come out looking the good guy."

Her head rocked back a bit. "You mean Hans? What happened that night? What did he do?"

Eyes narrowing, he averted his gaze. "...he said some rather ungentlemanly things about you."

"He…?" she trailed off, staring blankly at him for a moment. Abruptly, she pinched his arm.

"Ow!" His whole body jerked away, a hand clasping over the sore spot. "Fuck! What was that for?"

Giving him a small glare, she said, "Please don't tell me you beat up my sister's boyfriend just because you thought he said something mean about me. You might have misheard or misunderstood or-"

"I know what I heard," he growled, rubbing his arm.

That gave her pause, her expression softening a bit. "Well… even if he meant it, punching him wasn't worth it. Do you have any idea how much damage control I have to do with him and Anna now?"

He scoffed, "Damage control. You seriously want a guy like that dating your little sister?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not bothered by what people say about me. Whatever he said behind my back, I can assure you I've been called worse to my face. If that's the only thing he's-"

"It's not," he interjected quickly. "It was just the last straw."

Elsa blinked, tilting her head slightly. "There was more?"

"He tried to bribe me with money he stole from Anna."

"Wait, _what?!_ " Her eyes grew wide, her eyebrows shooting up her forehead. "Bribe you to do what?"

His face twisted sourly. "...to keep quiet about the fact that he's cheating on your sister."

She inhaled sharply and her back went rigid. She became very still, not moving or saying anything for a long moment. Just when Axel was beginning to wonder if she had turned to solid stone, her lips twitched and stretched into a smile that didn't reach her cold eyes. When she spoke, it was soft, but with a chipperness that made the hairs on the back of his neck bristle. "Excuse me, I'll be right back."

"Huh?" his brow furrowed. "Where are you going?"

Beginning to rise to her feet, she said in the same bright tone, "To go maul Hans."

"Hold it!" Before she could fully stand, he had hooked his hand in her elbow and pulled her back down to sit on the ground with him. "What, it's not okay for me to punch him but you can?"

She said sweetly, "Oh, I'm not going to punch him. I'm going to murder him." Her grin widened. "With an ice cream scoop."

He snerked. "Maybe that wouldn't be the best idea."

Tapping a finger pensively to her cheek, her smile turned a shade sinister. "You're right. I'll end his pathetic existence with a Zamboni instead."

Better than the rat bastard deserved.

"I'd rather like you not locked up for first degree homicide. No matter how cute you'd look in a lil orange jumpsuit," he winked.

She shot him an unamused look, before sighing. It was obvious it was taking every fiber of her being to remain calm and not go put Hans in an early grave right then and there. After taking a few seconds to think it over as rationally as she could manage at the moment, she asked, "Are you sure? That he's cheating on her?"

He gave a nod, before scratching a spot behind one ear. "I mean, it's not like I walked in on anything graphic. I only saw him sexting another girl. But then he seemed to get it in his head that he and I were homies or some shit. Started bragging to me about what a player he was."

The more Elsa heard, the more her stomach turned. Poor Anna. She was going to be heartbroken. Usually, she was the one that was doing the heartbreaking. This was the first time she had ever really fallen for a guy, and she had fallen _hard_. She had really wanted to make this one work. She had said he was the one. When she found out that Hans didn't feel the same way, that she was just another notch in his bedpost…

"You…" Axel began, hesitating for a bit. "...believe me, right?"

A crease formed between her eyebrows. "Of course I do. Why wouldn't I? You don't have a reason to lie about something like this. But more than that, I trust you. Thank you… for telling me what really happened." A slow smile spread across his face and he nodded. She frowned, looking down at the cobblestones. "I just don't know how I'm going to tell Anna. I don't want to hurt her."

One corner of his lips tugged upward. "I'd be more worried about her hurting Hans. She's a tough girl. One you don't want to fuck with."

A low snort escaped her. "You're probably right. Still…"

"Would it help if I was there when you told her? Ya know, an eyewitness to give my firsthand testimony."

She shook her head, eyes still downcast. "Thanks, but I think it would be better if it were just me."

"I get it." They fell silent for a few heartbeats, Axel toying with his shoelaces. Finally, he said, "Hey. You and me… we're good now, right?"

Elsa looked up at him. He gave her a smile. One that didn't hold the same amount of cockiness and confidence it usually did. It was small. Uncertain, even.

Maybe that's why she did it.

She scooted closer and threw her arms around him, squeezing him tightly. She felt his muscles tense in surprise before gradually relaxing, his arms moving slowly to encircle her and return the hug. She grinned, nodding once and murmuring. "Yeah. We're good."

A beat. Then just as abruptly, she was pulling away and pinching him in the arm again.

He jolted and hissed, "Goddamn it, woman! Would you stop with the pinching?!"

"Don't you _ever_ ," she poked an index finger to the tip of his nose, "disappear like that again, got it?"

He stared at her blankly, blinking once, then twice. She narrowed her eyes at him. Then he shook his head with a chuckle.

"Wouldn't dream of it."

* * *

**_AN:_ ** _ERMAHGERD, HAI! It's been a while, huh? I'M SO SORRY! ;_; Like I said a few chapters ago, got distracted by my two one-shots - already mentioned_ **_Closer_ ** _previously, but just in case you missed it,_ **_Notice Me_ ** _has been out for a while now too! Also, got distracted with my new story_ **_Svarog_ ** _\- please, PLEASE go check that out if you haven't already, and show it some love! *humbly bows and scrapes before you all* Please and thank you!_

_When I finally got back to this guy, I had a hard time with it at first. Like, I knew EXACTLY what I wanted to write, but I had trouble just getting that first sentence down for some reason. So it just continued to gather dust for couple weeks :-x Finally I just said fuck it, took a sick day and told myself "WRITE ANYTHING WOMAN" and then once I got that first sentence out, the rest just sort of avalanched after it xD BUT ANYWAY! FINALLY! AMIRITE?_

_I hope this chapter was worth the wait! I know, it's not as lighthearted as usual, not as many jokes cracked, but I felt the situation called for it. Still had a few jokes in there (I couldn't help it, I'm me), but hopefully strategically timed and placed xD Just enough to break up some of the seriousness while not losing it altogether hopefully. Also hope there aren't too many typos - knowing me, there ARE some lurking in there somewhere. Usually I re-read one of my chapters about 30 times before posting (and am still finding typos even after that many re-reads), but this one only got a couple glance overs before posting CUZ I WAS SO EXCITED TO FINALLY POST IT._

_Currently, I'm trying to rotate my 3 active stories, so it'll be a lil while before I get back to this one, but hopefully not AS long as last time! I'll be trying to keep my profile updated with my progress... we'll see how that goes... hehe...  
_

_Your silly questions! I still have them saved in a doc for pondering! You would have thought after all these months I would have come up with answers for them by now, but nope Dx I was too focused on writing my stories and those questions did slip my mind for a lil while… until today, when I finished this chapter! Then I thought I would come up with some quick answers before posting, but I got nothing! Sorry! I'll work on having answers for them all next time (feel free to shoot me more questions in the meantime!)_

_Special thanks and much love to everyone who showed support for my little story! Thank you one and all for reading, hoped you liked it, please leave feedback and let me know what you think! Until next time!_


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